Life Goes On: Post Breaking Dawn
by g1ngersnap
Summary: After the Volturi left, the Cullens decided to move to Hanover, NH with Jacob’s pack. What does the future hold for them? How much progress would Renesmee make while growing up? Canon. OC. Possible spin-off/s. 1st fanfic. Please R
1. Worries

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

**The story picks up exactly the day after Breaking Dawn.**

(Bella POV)

I've always wondered what I did to deserve the things I now have in life. I did sacrifice a bit when I decided to move to Forks to give my mom, Renee, her shot of her own happiness with her husband, Phil. Charlie was ecstatic when I told him about it. But is it really a sacrifice when you get something good in return? I went to Forks High School and met the most beautiful man I've seen in my life. Not long after, he became my husband and we now have a child together. To top it all off, I get to spend forever with him. Yes, life, or should I say, after-life since I am considered undead, turned out for the best for me. I am still baffled how I end up with everything I ever wanted.

"What are you thinking, love?" Edward asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Nothing really. I'm just glad that the Volturi left and nobody got hurt," I replied, laying my head on his chest.

He started drawing circles behind my back with his hand; it is always relaxing when he does that, "We have Alice to thank for that, and of course, your shield as well. Without it, things might have gone differently."

"Everyone had their share and I am just glad that it's over."

I stirred to get up, but Edward tightened his embrace on me, "Where do you think you're going? I am not done with you yet. I want to spend more hours with you."

I smiled at his beautiful face and kissed him on his lips, "I know, but the sun will be up soon, and we do have a mouth to feed. I want to cook food for her and for Jacob and his pack. With this whole imprinting thing, I am sure no day will pass without him always hovering around Renesmee."

I got up and started to get ready for the day.

"With all the things that had been going on, we never got a chance to talk about that," Edward said while he got up and get dressed.

"How do we even begin talking about it? I still can't get over the fact that he imprinted on my baby, OUR baby." There's no denying my frustration with the tone of my voice.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and looked at me on the mirror while I was brushing my hair, "Bella, love, this is something out of our hands."

"I know Edward; it's just that she's growing so fast. She's only a few months old, but look at her now, she looks almost two. Before we know it, she'll start looking and acting like an adult. I don't know how much time I have with her. I just hate to think that I would lose her to…to…to him."

I sighed heavily at the thought. If I could cry, I'm sure there will be tears flowing on my face.

I stopped brushing my hair and leaned my head to Edward's, "When I held her while the Volturi was here, I can't help but think what if that was the last moment I have with her. I haven't really gotten the chance to know her. And now that they're gone, I feel like Jacob will take her away before I would even have the chance to share with her what moms share with their daughters."

I turned around and hugged Edward. It had always been comforting to have his arms around me, but this time, it seemed that it was not enough.

"Bella, you know as well as I do that Jacob does not look at Ness…Renesmee like that, at least not yet. And I'm sure he will not take her away from us, we are her family. Seems like he's so used to being around vampires now it doesn't bother him anymore," Edward chuckled.

I looked up and smiled, "I guess you're right. I know it's silly. I should not be worrying about this too much. I am going to the house to cook."

Edward frowned, "Why can't you do that here?"

"Esme stocked her fridge. I know that Renesmee like blood as much as we do, but I don't want her relying only on that. I want her to eat as much human food as she can. Besides, Esme's kitchen is a lot bigger than ours. I've been wanting to try out her gadgets ever since my first visit. And also, if Jacob comes over, I don't think our lovely cottage will hold. Please wait for Renesmee to wake up and bring her with you. Call Jacob and tell him to eat breakfast in the house with his pack."

Edward frowned. I kissed him on the cheek, "It's better that he's in our territory, way to keep a better eye on him, don't you think?" He smiled; I kissed him on the lips and headed to the house.

I didn't rush going to the house; I savored the smell of the surrounding. It's a nice feeling to let my guard down, no impending danger to think about.

"Good Morning," I greeted everyone as I enter the door.

Emmett and Jasper are playing their weird chess game. Alice and Rosalie are flipping through a catalog, Esme talking to Carlisle as he gets ready to head out for the hospital. "Good Morning," everyone replied in unison.

"You're out early," Emmett snickered.

I glared at him, "We had a deal, remember?" Emmett brushed me off and went back to playing chess.

"Esme, Bella's cooking for Renesmee and Jacob's pack, better show her around the kitchen," Alice said without looking up.

Rosalie gave me a questioning look and I answered before she even put her question to words, "Renesmee is still sleeping. Edward will come over with her as soon as she wakes up." Rosalie nodded.

Edward and I decided that Rosalie should be Renesmee's legal guardian, just in case, and Emmett volunteered to be my daughter's "protector." Jacob didn't like the idea at the time, but he's not going to win over a wrestling match with Emmett so he let it go.

"How is she doing?" Carlisle asked as he grabbed his bag from the table.

"She hasn't grown, thank goodness," I answered jokingly.

Carlisle smiled, "Don't forget to measure her today," he looked at Rosalie, "I'm sure Rose will help."

Rosalie looked up, "We'll measure her just once today, Carlisle, give the kid a break."

"One measurement is fine as long as she gets measured precisely; you know how Jacob gets when it's not 'perfect'."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and went back to the catalog.

I looked around and something seems different. "Wait, where's Hulien and Nahuel?" I asked finally realizing what's different. Our friends from South America who saved us the fight over the Volturi, Nahuel being half-breed like Renesmee was our proof that she will grow older.

Jasper answered my question, "They left a few hours ago. Nahuel seemed eager to track Joham. Hulien followed suit to make sure her nephew is safe."

"We didn't even get a chance to say goodbye and thank you," I felt bad not being able to, he saved my daughter's fate by being here.

"We extended our gratitude to them on your behalf," Carlisle said with a smile as he leaned to Esme for a goodbye kiss.

Esme kissed Carlisle as he headed out the door.

Esme turned to me and led me to the kitchen. "I want Renesmee to eat as much human food possible rather than living mostly on blood. At least I could still cook even though I can't eat," I told her as we enter the kitchen.

"At least we can put this kitchen to use," Esme placed her arm on my shoulder as she showed me all the cabinets and the gadgets she had. For somebody who doesn't eat, Esme has high-end appliances to show off.

"Do you need help with anything?" Esme offered.

"If you could beat some eggs, I'm making omelet for the pack."

I saw Alice enter the kitchen, "Esme, I'll help Bella. I think you should keep an eye on the boys. I just had a vision that at least one of your vases will break."

Esme gave the bowl with eggs to Alice, "Thanks for telling me, sometimes those boys…"

She trailed off as she headed out to the living room.

Alice moved closer to me while beating the eggs on the bowl, "I'm getting fuzzy images from you, Bella."

I looked up from the chopping board where I have been cutting bell peppers, onions and mushrooms, "What do you mean?"

"I see you in Dartmouth sometimes then it will suddenly change back to Forks. It keeps going back and forth; it's starting to give me a headache. You have been battling a decision."

I looked down and went back to chopping, "I'm sorry."

"It just means that you haven't fully decided yet," Alice continued, "and I guess you haven't told Edward?"

I shook my head, "I wanted to get my shot at a normal life, but being a newborn, I'm not sure now is the time to start. I know Edward will just say, 'whatever makes you happy, love', like that'll help with my confusion."

Alice let out a light laugh and I laughed with her. "So, what's on your mind?" she asked.

There's no use not telling her the truth since she can see the future, "I want to go to college since there's nothing else to do. We can't always go out during the day and since we don't sleep, might as well just go to school to pass time."

I finished cutting the vegetables on the board and started separating bacon strips, "I have a feeling Rosalie and Emmett will come with us; Rosalie won't let Renesmee out of her sight. Carlisle might go with us just to keep tabs on Renesmee's growth and development, so that means Esme's coming too. It's up to you and Jasper if you want to come with us. It would be great to be all together. I'm just not sure how Jasper will feel about me going to school, being newborn and all."

"You will be attending with Edward. Jasper and I are coming of course, if it comes down to that. I can keep tabs on you so don't give yourself too much to think about."

I stopped and looked at Alice, "Thanks. That leaves one more thing; I'm worried what Jacob will say. I know she's his imprint, but she's still my daughter and she goes where I go…"

I trailed off and sighed heavily.

Alice walked by my side and placed her arm on my shoulder, "That is a problem. Think it over. I think you should talk to Edward and sort it out. Then when you reach a decision, call for a family meeting."

I leaned my head towards her and smiled; it's great to have a sister like Alice, she always knows what to say.


	2. Decision

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

Just as I started setting up the table, I heard Edward enter the living room, followed by two more figures, Jacob and Seth. I didn't expect Leah to come as she never liked being surrounded by vampires. I hope one day she'll come around.

"Renesmee!" Rosalie exclaimed as she got up and grabbed her from Edward. I'm sure Jacob would have grabbed Renesmee as soon as he sees her, but I know he wouldn't dare if it was me or Edward carrying her.

"Aunt Rose, where's momma?" I heard my daughter looking for me.

I popped out of the kitchen and showed myself to her, "Good morning, angel." She started leaning my direction, trying to get out of Rosalie's arms.

"You don't want Aunt Rose anymore? I'm hurt," Rosalie grumbled as she started walking towards me.

Renesmee put her hand on Rosalie's face and she lit up, "Okay, I understand. I'll give you to your mom."

Edward walked on my side and kissed me on the neck, "Renesmee missed you and got worried when you weren't there when she woke up. After yesterday's event, you can't blame her." Sometimes I wish that Renesmee would just say out loud what she's thinking rather than using her gift by touching someone's face to show them her thoughts. Times like this make me appreciate my husband's mind reading ability.

I extended my arm so that Renesmee could hug me right away, "I cooked for you, angel."

"Great! I'm starving," Jacob exclaimed as he headed to the kitchen. Seth followed.

"When are you not starving, dog?" Rosalie growled.

"Omelet and bacon, I may never leave!" Seth said as he started to grab plateful of food.

"I'm not sure Leah would like that," Edward said as I grab some of the omelet to feed Renesmee.

Jacob was making faces and Renesmee laughed. I sighed. How am I even going to start telling him that we might move to New Hampshire? How is he going to react?

I saw Edward walking towards me. I know my weariness did not escape his notice. "What is it, love?"

"I'll feed her," Rosalie took Renesmee. She might have noticed the change of my mood as well.

I kissed Renesmee on her forehead, "I'll be just in the other room, okay? Aunt Rose will feed you." She just nodded and leaned towards Rosalie as she grabbed her from my arms.

Edward and I walked towards the living room. We sat down the sofa; I closed my eyes, letting my shield down.

"Is that what's been bothering you?"

"Edward, you talk as if it's that simple. I am a newborn and I could be dangerous. Not to mention," I pointed my head towards the dining room, "how are we going to deal with that?"

"Bella, you've already thought of an option for them. It's up to him if he'll go with us or not, but like you said, she's our daughter."

"WAIT!" Alice startled us. "Bella already told you?" She looked at Edward. "I didn't hear her say anything."

"I read it in her thoughts," Edward answered smugly.

"Read her thoughts? Ha ha, very funny Edward. She's a shield, you can't read her mind."

"Actually Alice, Zafrina thought me how to let my shield down. She said that I just need to concentrate on it and try to reverse it. I can't hold it down for long, but it's enough for about a minute," I explained to Alice.

At this point, everyone was staring at me in disbelief. Rosalie stepped out from the dining room after she handed Renesmee to Jacob. She wasn't sure if she heard me right, "Did you just say that you can let your shield down and Edward can read your mind when you do that?"

I started to feel uncomfortable and suddenly lost for words so I just nodded.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us right away," Alice exclaimed as she walked towards us. Jasper followed closely, I think he started to feel Alice's frustration.

"Alice, calm down," Edward talked for me, "we just found out last night. It's the first time she tried it."

"I'm sorry, Alice. I had something else in my mind that I forgot to mention it." I bit my lip, human mannerism when I'm nervous.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I don't know why I reacted that way. I understand," she came over and hugged me. I felt a little relieved but it seems like her hug is not what it used to be, or maybe I'm just over thinking things.

Jacob and Seth are now with us, Jacob carrying Renesmee. Esme walked toward him to get her granddaughter. She doesn't get to spend so much time with her with Jacob and Rosalie always fighting over Renesmee.

"So what's the agenda for today? Obviously no practice fighting since there's no one to fight," Jacob asked.

"Wanna wrestle?" Emmett dared to ask. "Ow," Rosalie smacked his head, "I was just kidding."

"Of course you were," Rosalie glared.

Everyone laughed, but Edward and I just looked at each other. I nodded as I let him read my thoughts again.

Edward got up and stood beside Jacob, "Jacob, I need you to go back to La Push to bring Leah, Billy and Sue later. Charlie needs to be here too, but we'll call him ourselves."

"Why?"

"We'll talk when everyone's here."

Jacob nodded, signaled Seth and headed to Renesmee. He kissed her on her forehead, "I'll see you later, Nessie."

"Her name is Renesmee," I said automatically, always correcting anyone who calls her Nessie.

"Whatever. I know you're starting to like it," Jake grinned as he headed out the door.

"Thanks for the delicious breakfast Bella," Seth said as he followed Jacob.

As soon as they left, Rosalie asked, "Can somebody please tell me what this is all about?" She looked at me then Edward.

"I told Jacob we'll talk when everyone's here, and since not everyone's here yet, then there's nothing to talk about," Edward simply replied.

"Bella?" Emmett asked, hoping I will tell him what the meeting will be about.

"Later, Emmett, later," I told him.

--

The day dragged on as we wait for everyone to arrive. Rosalie get even with me by not letting me hold my daughter. She and Esme were playing dress up with Renesmee.

Renesmee seemed to be enjoying it, until Rosalie remembered to pull out the measuring tape. Renesmee got really tired of being measured. "Just once today, angel," I told her so she would stop fidgeting and we can get the measurement already.

Alice had been pacing back and forth the house. I tried to ask Edward what's going on with her, but Edward said she's blocking her off. She's been signing the national anthem of different countries in her head.

Jasper and Emmett went from playing chess to wrestling to watching TV to what other activities they can think of. Esme just made sure that unless they are going to watch TV, whatever they are going to do, they have to do it outside.

Edward and I sat together. I had been practicing how to put my shield down longer. The longest I managed was about 3 minutes and it's starting to give me a headache. After hours of practice, I decided it was time to stop and I started cooking dinner for our guests.

--

First to arrive was Charlie. I waited for him at the door as soon as Alice said that he'll be arriving in about ten minutes, "Hi, Dad!" I concentrate smelling the surroundings so that I won't focus on my father's human scent. I am still nervous around my dad. I felt Jasper using his ability to ease my nerves.

"Bells!" my father hugged me, "how are you, and how's my granddaughter?" He looked around and nodded his head to everyone as a greeting.

Esme walked towards him. Renesmee is sleeping on her arms. After playing dress up for hours, it finally worn her down. "Would you like to hold her?" Esme offered him.

"Better not. She might wake up."

"Don't worry, she sleeps deep." Esme handed Renesmee to Charlie.

It's a picture perfect moment. Charlie totally adores his granddaughter, although I know that all this is still a bit weird for him. Another person to think about; my dad just got the news that he has a granddaughter then in a few minutes or so, I'll tell him that I'm taking her away. I'm starting to doubt my decision.

Not long after Charlie's arrival, I heard Carlisle's car. Edward headed out, probably to talk to him about the family meeting.

Soon, Jacob's Pack arrived with Billy and Sue. Leah didn't look too happy being here, but she needs to be here, "This better be important," she grumbled.

Everyone assembled in the living room as it is the biggest room in the house. Everyone looked at me and Edward as everyone started to settle down. Charlie laid Renesmee of the sofa before settling himself beside her. Jacob sat on the other side of Renesmee. Billy rolled his wheelchair beside Charlie.

"You might have been anxious all day to know what this meeting is about," Edward started as he held my hands in his.

"That's an understatement," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes.

Edward glared at her before he continued, "Please let us finish what we have to say before you react and state your opinion. Bella and I decided to attend Dartmouth this coming March for Spring Quarter."

I dared to look around to see how everyone reacted to the news. I shouldn't have; all their mouths were open, well except for Alice and Jasper.

Edward continued, "We already missed our first chance last September due to her," he paused, thinking of a better way to say that I technically almost died and then turned to a vampire, "illness."

"Renesmee, being our daughter, will be coming with us. Alice already told Bella that she and Jasper will come with us."

He looked at Jacob, "I know she's your imprint. I don't know how strong imprinting is but must you decide to come with us in New Hampshire, that's fine with us. Bella thought that you could attend an adult school there so that you won't get bored doing nothing. Don't worry about the expenses; since we are dragging you all the way to the other side of the country, it's the least we can do."

"What's an imprint?" I heard Charlie whisper to Billy. "It's a werewolf thing, I'll explain it to you later," Billy simply replied.

Edward then turned to Seth and Leah, "Being members of Jacob's pack, you are free to join him if he decided to come with us. We have a house there that you can stay in as we will need a bigger place should the whole family come with us." Edward turned to me to continue.

"Billy, Sue," I looked at them, "You are their parents and we thought that you must be a part of the decision making. Our family promise you that we will treat them as part of our own if they decide to come with us." I took a deep breath and continued, "Every break that we have in school, we will go back here in Forks so that they could spend time with you," I looked at my dad, "and so I could see you, too, dad."

"Thank you," Charlie whispered but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"We will go around and ask each of you what your decision will be." Edward looked at Rosalie.

"I am her 'godmother' so to speak so I am going with you. Besides, if you are going to school at night, who will watch her?" Rosalie answered.

"Same here," Emmett simply answered.

Carlisle held Esme's hand, "We are going with you. It's easier to track Renesmee's growth if we are with her. Besides, I am not aging and the hospital might start to get suspicious."

"Jacob?" Edward turned his head towards him.

Jacob closed his eyes, thinking hard. He opened his eyes and looked at me and Edward, "Imprinting is strong. I don't know how long I will last being separated with her. I'm not sure about your idea of adult school, but it's worth a shot."

Jacob turned to Billy, but before he could say anything, Billy said, "Rachel is with me now so don't you worry. Besides, they said you'll be here during breaks."

Jacob nodded and turned to his pack, "You don't have to come with me. Stay in La Push. Stay with Sue. You can join..."

Leah cut him off, "We are your pack; I'm not going back to Sam's. We go where our Alpha goes."

I was shocked, I didn't expect that Leah will even consider going, but it seemed like she already made up her mind.

"Besides, who will watch your back?" Leah glared at my family.

"Leah, don't be like that," Seth defended us. "But she's right Jacob; we go where our Alpha goes. Don't worry about mom, she'll be taken care of," he nodded his head towards Charlie. Everyone smiled as Sue and Charlie blushed.

"Then it is settled," Carlisle announced, "we are leaving next month to get everyone settled before the quarter starts."

"Can we eat now?" Jacob asked. "I've been smelling the steak since we got here and I'm starving."

"What a surprise," Rosalie said as she walked towards the sofa to cradle Renesmee in her arms.

Everyone laughed.

--

We said our goodbyes to our guests and head back towards the house. I noticed that Alice stayed on the porch. She had been quiet the whole meeting.

"We need to talk to Alice," Edward whispered. I nodded.

"You want to tell us something?" Edward asked her.

"I'm sorry, but we're not going to New Hampshire," Alice answered looking down on her hand.

I was shocked, "But you said this afternoon…" I couldn't continue.

"I know, but that was before we knew about your shield. I…I want to expand my ability, too." Alice explained, but I still didn't understand.

"She wants to know if there's any way for her to see Renesmee in her visions," Edward said when neither me nor Alice said anything.

"I want to talk to Zafrina. Maybe she can help me enhance my vision," Alice finally looked at me. "I want to help our family."

"But Alice you are a big help!" I protested.

"Bella, I don't see Renesmee or the wolves and every time they are involved. I want to help more. I want to know if there's any way I could maybe work on seeing them in my visions as well. It gave me headache when you were pregnant because I couldn't see you then. What if there's a way to work around it?"

"But Alice, we're supposed to be together," I started to sob. "Renesmee will be fine, Edward can read her mind."

"She's my niece; I want to protect her from any bad things that might happen. If I can't see her, how can I do that?" Alice hugged me and I hugged her back.

"Alice, please don't leave," this time both Edward and I pleaded with her.

"I have too," the three of us are now hugging each other. "Jasper will come with me so you don't have to worry about me being by myself. We'll come back as soon as I start to learn how to enhance my gift."

"But how can you practice, there's no half-breed or werewolves in the Amazon?" I asked, still hoping she would change her mind.

"No half-breed or shape-shifters, but there are still real werewolves lurking around there. I can practice on them." Alice replied. "You guys, I know it feels like I'm leaving you again, but at least this time you know where I'm going. Besides, I will be here on September while you're here for summer break whether or not there's any progress. I have Renesmee's first birthday to plan," she said, trying to light up the mood. It didn't work.

"Regardless, we will still miss you," Edward kissed her on her forehead and we all headed back inside. This is news that the family will not like.

--

A/N: I'm not sure if Dartmouth is in semester or quarter system, but I just put in as quarter system so it will work well with my story.


	3. Separation

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

I was not surprised that the family was not happy with Alice's decision. We are all worried about their safety in the Amazon, especially for Jasper. He is just starting to get comfortable with the 'vegetarian' diet; being around vampires living on human blood may trigger his old ways.

"Maybe we can ask Zafrina to visit?" Esme suggested; the thought of being away from her children is make her anxious.

"Esme, they just left. They are probably not in Amazon yet. And I'm sure they miss their home," Alice answered.

"You guys just got home, too, and now you're leaving again," Emmett said sheepishly. I never heard him in a sad tone before.

"It's not the same, Carlisle," Edward suddenly said. We all looked at Carlisle.

"We've been separated before," Carlisle answered.

"What are you talking about?" Rosalie demanded.

"There are times that we separate. Rosalie and Emmett," Carlisle said looking at the couple, "you sometimes go on your little vacations. Same with me and Esme. Just think about this as Alice and Jasper's little getaway."

"But this is different! They are going to a remote location, surrounded by human-blood eating vampires and we don't know when they're going to be back!" Esme's frustrated now.

I felt a wave of calm. _It's about time Jasper!_

"We'll be back by September for Renesmee's birthday. We promise we'll call," Alice answered as she walked between Esme and Rosalie, wrapping both of them in her tiny arms.

"When are you leaving?" Emmett asked, still sulking.

"Tomorrow morning. I want to say goodbye to Nes…Renesmee before we go," Alice said.

"We'll stay here for the night," Edward simply said.

Alice picked up Renesmee and held her. Jasper sat beside her in the sofa. I don't know how long we stood around them, not moving, just savoring this moment before two members of our family leaves for who knows how long.

--

Morning came too soon. Alice and Jasper have booked their flight and packed their bags in less than five minutes. Renesmee had just woken up not two minutes and they already rushed in getting ready.

When everything is set, packed bags by the door, the whole family gathered close in the living room.

"Alice, cant I do anything to change your mind?" I pleaded with her.

"Bella, we need to do this. I need to do this. It'll be easier now while she's still young, all of us can watch over her, but when she grows older, you know she'll want to have her freedom. For all we know, she might be as stubborn as you," Alice said with a smile.

"Be careful," Esme said to her children as she pulled them into a tight hug.

"We will call in every transfer point until we lose our signal in Brazil," Jasper said as he straightened out his shirt after being wrinkled from Esme's hug.

Alice walked toward Renesmee, "Renesmee, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper are leaving for a few months, but we'll be back for your birthday, okay? Don't grow too fast, I might not recognize you right away; you might be taller than me when I get back." Alice tried to smile, not wanting to show her sadness to Renesmee.

"I'll miss you," Alice is sobbing now. All of us are. I think Jasper cannot help our emotions since he is feeling the same.

Jasper wrapped Renesmee in his arms, "Be good. Don't get in trouble. And keep an eye on Uncle Emmett, too. Make sure he stays out of trouble." Jasper tried to lighten up the mood a bit. Carlisle took Renesmee from Jasper so that he could go around and give his goodbyes to the rest of the family.

"Call us when you get to trouble and we'll be there before you know it. When we get to Hanover, we'll be closer to Brazil, we'll get there in no time," Emmett assured his siblings, wrapping them with his big arms.

Esme hugged her children once again, "Don't push your hunger, hunt at least every two weeks, you hear!" Esme tried to put as much motherly instruction to her voice without breaking. Her two children nodded.

Alice hugged Rosalie as soon as Esme released her, "Make sure she gets properly dressed. We don't want other people thinking she's not taken care off."

"I can take care of my daughter, Alice," I scowled at Alice and smiled.

"I was not referring to Renesmee," Alice lightly laughed. Everyone laughed with her, except me.

Jasper hugged Rosalie and me.

Alice hugged me and Edward the last, "Remember, I am doing this for Renesmee. I want to be a better help," she whispered in our ears.

Edward let go and hugged Jasper. "I know I don't have to tell you, but take care. You two better be back here unscratched," he told Jasper, trying to keep his straight.

Alice and I are still hugging. "Thank you for doing this, but you don't have to. Just being with the family is enough for us. But being stubborn like me, I know there's no stopping you," I sobbed. I inhaled her scent one last time before letting go.

"Check your messages at least once a week, I will send you Renesmee's picture so you'll see how fast she's growing," I told Jasper and Alice as I take Renesmee from Carlisle's arms.

"Say bye to Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper," I told Renesmee. She might be growing fast, but I don't think she already grasped what's really going on.

"Bye Unca Jasp, bye Ant Alice," Renesmee waved at them.

"We better get going, or you will miss your flight," Carlisle finally spoke. Carlisle did not say his goodbyes with us, but I could see the pain in his eyes. He is the only one who fully supported Alice's plan.

Jasper and Alice kissed Renesmee one last time before heading to the door followed by Carlisle. He will be dropping them off at Seattle Airport before going to Forks Hospital to turn his one-month notice resignation.

--

The house was quiet. Without Alice's exuberance, it felt different.

Rosalie and Esme continued playing with Renesmee while Edward and Emmett played some video game. I did what I usually do when I want to calm down when I was still human, I cooked.

Just like clockwork, as soon as I turned off the stove, I started smelling wet dogs. Jacob and Seth has arrived.

"Perfect timing, as always," Seth said as he opened the door and smelled the pancake and sausage.

"The food is in the kitchen, help yourselves," I told them before I sat in with Rosalie and Esme, watching Renesmee coloring the papers Rosalie gave her, accidentally coloring Esme's carpet in the process.

"What's wrong people? Why does it feel like somebody died?" Jacob asked, concerned.

"Alice and Jasper left to Amazon," Emmett grunted, "don't ask why."

Jacob shrugged and went to the kitchen with Seth. This morning, I let Renesmee drink blood for breakfast. She gets a bit grumpy if she wants blood.

After a few minutes, I heard the water running in the kitchen. One thing I like about feeding these wolves, they feel like their family rather than visitors, feeling really homey, and washing dishes after they eat.

As Jacob and Seth joined us in the living room, I saw Edward throw the game control and got up heading towards Jacob. His face does not look friendly. I got up before he reached Jacob.

"No, you cant," Edward said when I blocked him, his eyes on Jacob.

"Oh, c'mon Edward, don't you want her to play with a kid her age rather than adults?" Jacob said.

"Wait, you want to bring Renesmee to La Push?" I turned to Jacob, I may not be a mind-reader but I grasped what he wants to do from what he just said.

"Just for a short visit," Jacob shrugged.

"She is not her age. She may look two, but she's just four months old," Edward grunted.

Jacob walked towards Renesmee and she waved her arms for Jacob to carry her. _Oh great!_ I thought sarcastically.

"Claire is three years old. Esme and Rosalie are at least two decades older than Renesmee, no offense," Jacob said looking at Esme and Rosalie, "so Renesmee's age is closer to Claire's and a more suitable playmate."

"My niece is not going to La Push unless supervised by one of us," Rosalie said while getting up and grabbing Renesmee from Jacob.

"Hey!" Jacob exclaimed after Renesmee was swiftly taken from his arms.

When he attempted to take Renesmee back, Emmett was already there, blocking him. "Want me to beat you up, pup?" Emmett growled.

"Stop it!" I said. "Jacob, Rose is right; our daughter's not going to La Push unless she's supervised by one of us. But being vampires and all, we're not welcome there."

"I have an idea," Seth said. All of us now looking at him, "we're leaving next month right? Well, I for one don't have anything to bring in Hanover. Most of my clothes were in shreds and my school stuff are all trashed. I think we should start buying our things. We can just tell Quil to take Claire to Port Angeles and she and Renesmee can play in one of those kiddie areas while we go around."

Rosalie handed Renesmee to Emmett and walked towards Seth. Jacob was about to get Renesmee from Emmett but he stopped on his tracks when Emmett glared at him.

"I've always liked you, Seth. You are very smart for your kind," Rosalie said tapping Seth's shoulder.

"I don't know about that. I'm not sure they will like the idea. I don't think Leah's going for it either," Jacob replied, but looked like he's really considering it.

"Leah hates wearing our clothes, so just tell her that she can get her own clothes, not even having a hint of our scent," Esme suggested, her face lit up a bit from being somber since Alice and Jasper left a couple of hours ago.

"Now if you put it that way, this might actually work," Jacob said, heading to the phone.

"Wait!" I cannot believe that the only solution they can think of involves shopping, "Is that the only solution you can think of?"

"Oh, c'mon Bella. I know you hate shopping, but this is the only way," Rosalie said.

"I have one word for you, newborn," I said pointing to myself.

"We'll stay behind, you three can bring Renesmee to the mall," Edward said nodding his head to Esme, Rosalie and Emmett while wrapping his arm on my waist.

"No!" I took his arm from my waist, "I want to spend time with my daughter!"

"We'll only take her for just a few hours. When she gets tired or starts looking for you, we'll head back right away," Esme said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

How am I supposed to say no to my sweet mother-in-law?

"Okay, fine, but be back soon," I grumbled.

I took Renesmee in my arms, "Are you going to be okay without mommy?"

Renesmee put her hand on my face and showed me yesterday's event when she was giggling while Esme and Rosalie were playing dress up with her.

"Sometimes I think you like them better than me," I grumbled as I handed her to Rosalie.

"We'll be gone for a few hours, so you could do some 'activities'," Emmett said with a grin. "Ow," Edward smacked his head.

"You have a very dirty mind!" Edward scowled at him.

"It was just a thought," Emmett grunted as he rubbed the area that Edward hit.

"You just never learn to control your brain, don't you," Rosalie rolled her eyes at Emmett.

I just shook my head and kissed Renesmee before they head out.

After Jacob made his calls, they are out of the door. Rosalie and Esme rode the Volvo with Renesmee at the back in one of the car seats that Carlisle bought a few days ago. I don't know how many he bought, but he said that he's just making sure that just in case we need to go somewhere, we have the right size for our fast growing daughter.

Emmett took his jeep with Jacob and Seth. With their height and length, I think that's the only vehicle we have that will hold them.

We waved at them while they headed towards the road. With the way that Rosalie and Emmett drives, I'm sure they'll be in Port Angeles in no time.

Edward turned to me, "Do you want to hunt?"

I nodded; there's nothing else to do anyway.

Edward took my hand and we headed out.

--

I don't know how long we've been running and how far we have gone. I'm pretty sure we already crossed the Canadian border. Edward had two mountains lion and I had three deer. Although deer don't taste as good as mountain lions, I find them easier to eat, without the fur.

After having full stomach, Edward and I walked in silence as we slowly head back towards the border. Time and time again, I practice putting my shield down, letting Edward in my mind. Every time I think about my worries with Renesmee, Alice and Jasper, he rubs his thumb on my head to ease my mind.

After we crossed the border, we started running in a controlled pace. After a couple of hours, we are in our meadow. We sat and held hands while taking in the view and the beauty of each other's sparkling skin.

I don't know how long we sat in silence, not saying a word. All I could hear was our own breathing and sometimes birds chirping around us. I thought of Alice and Jasper. Now I understand what it is like just being together like that, no words and no actions but still feeling loved and understood.

This made me miss them more.


	4. Growing

A/N: Reviews – short, long, good or bad – always welcome. Let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

As the sun started to change position in the sky, Edward and I started walking back to the house. Our silence was interrupted by the shrill of Edwards's cell phone.

When I saw from the caller ID that it was Alice, I grabbed the phone from him before he get to answer, "Alice!"

"Bella! We're in New York right now and just waiting for our connecting flight to Rio. We only have an hour. Where's everybody? Nobody's answering at the house. Is everyone okay? I didn't see anything, but when Renesmee's involve, or the wolves, well I pretty much don't see anything," Alice said without pausing to breathe.

"Alice, slow down. Rosalie, Emmett and Esme are in Port Angeles with Renesmee and Jacob's pack. They are buying stuff for our move next month," I informed her. "Jacob wanted Renesmee to play with Quil's imprint, Claire, but we wont let him bring Renesmee in La Push, so they just met in Port Angeles."

"Why didn't they go? Wait, are we interrupting something?" I heard Jasper's teasing beside Alice.

"Please smack Jasper for me, I think Emmett rubbed off on him. Edward and I didn't go because I don't think it's a good idea for me to be with so many humans. We don't want to push my newborn luck." I replied.

"Oh, don't mind Jasper. He's just bored to death and not getting any," Alice laughed.

"My turn," Edward pulled the phone from me.

"Hey! I wasn't done yet!"

"Alice, can I talk to Jasper please?" Edward inquired.

"You know it's not polite to grab the phone when we're still not done," Alice grumbled.

I heard Alice hand the phone to Jasper, "Edward wants to talk to you."

"Edward."

"Jasper, how's she feeling? Not changing her mind yet?" Edward asked, hopeful.

"As determined as ever," Jasper answered.

"Don't hold your breath; I'm not changing my mind!" I heard Alice shout. Edward had to put his phone away from his ear.

"Just checking. How about you, how are you holding up? Sanity still intact?" Edward said jokingly.

"So far, so good. But then, we've only left a few hours ago," Jasper replied with the same joking tone.

"Ow!" I heard Jasper. "You talk as if it's our first time on our own," Alice scowled.

"Edward, it's Alice again. You can't talk to this idiot anymore."

"If you want to reach the others, call Esme on her cell phone," Edward told her.

"Will do. We'll call again when we get to Rio."

We said our quick goodbyes and hang up.

I was about to start walking towards the direction of the house when Edward swiftly carried me on his arms, "What the…"

"You know, we probably still have a couple more hours before the others get home," Edward said with raised eyebrow.

I understood where he was getting at and I played with the collar of his shirt, "We'll get to the cottage sooner if you put me down so that we both can run."

With that note, Edward kissed me on the lips passionately, not wanting it to end. He abruptly put me down and pulled my hand as we run towards the cottage.

--

We made sure we were already at the house before the others got back. Emmett will surely tease us if they get home before we do. We only got a few minutes to spare before the front door swung open.

Rosalie and Esme are holding Renesmee's hands when they entered the house. As soon as she sees us, Renesmee let go of both of them and run to me and Edward. I showered my daughter kisses to let her know how much she was missed. She then placed her hand to my and Edward's faces and showed us what she did that day. Rosalie picked out clothes for her, most of them are size 4, just in case.

Renesmee was still in full story mode when Emmett entered the house. He looked pissed. When Renesmee saw my puzzled expression, the image she's showing us changed. Esme told him to lend his jeep to Jacob and the pack so that they won't have to carry all their purchases walking back to La Push. Emmett did not like the idea, but Esme will not take no for an answer. The pack was grateful, even Leah. I guess there's a chance of her coming around after all.

Before I had a chance to laugh at Emmett's expression, the image changed again, picking up where she left off. Renesmee showed us a face of a cute little girl with black hair who was giggling with her as they kick the ball between them. Every time the ball goes in a different direction, Quil runs after it. Getting the idea, the two little girls started to intentionally kick the ball out of the way. Poor Quil, Claire must be quite a handful.

I smiled while she was showing me the balls and other toys that she was sharing with Claire. It must be nice to be around other kids; she definitely needs other company other than adult vampires and werewolf. I know Jacob will not let anything harm Renesmee if I let her visit La Push without any of us.

With this thought, the image changed once again. Jacob was feeding Renesmee, but she's being difficult. Jacob already had some food on his clothes, but it didn't seem like it bother him at all. Renesmee put her hands down smiling. I kissed the top of her head as she played with her hair.

I sighed and let my shield down, _"I may never understand how imprinting works, but seems like Jacob is doing a pretty good job with her. Did you see how much food Renesmee threw at him, but his face remained calm. I don't know if I could be as patient as he is."_

"As much as I hate to admit it, you are right," Edward answered my thought.

"Do you think we should give him a shot, let Renesmee go to La Push?" I asked my husband.

This question did not escape Rosalie's hearing, "You will not let my goddaughter go there without any of us!"

"Rose, didn't you see how happy Renesmee is when she was playing with Claire? I hate to admit it but the mutt is right, she needs to play with kids her own age," Edward sounded like he was still trying to convince himself.

"You are not serious!" Rosalie scowled. Edward was shaking his head; I'm pretty sure Rosalie has been cursing in her mind right now, not wanting to say anything out loud for Renesmee's sake.

"But she's not growing in human pace. Don't you think it'll be very confusing for Claire to see her playmate to be smaller than her one day; then all of a sudden, grew taller in a course of a week, maybe even just a few days?" Emmett asked.

I didn't even think about that, nor did Edward and Esme. We all stared at Emmett.

"What? I was just saying," Emmett was defending himself, but not really knowing for what reason.

"Who are you and what have you done to my mate?" Rosalie looked at Emmett suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?" Emmett asked, surprised.

"Rosalie is just shocked, as we are, that you said something that actually made sense," Edward snickered.

Before we could do anything, Emmett was already on Rosalie, "You want to know what happened to your mate? I'll show you what happened to him!" He then lifted Rosalie and flitted upstairs. We could still hear Rosalie laughing behind the closed door of their bedroom.

I giggled and Edward shook his head, "Esme, may I suggest that you go to the cottage with us, you may not like being left here alone for a couple of hours?"

"Gladly. I better call Carlisle and warn him as well." Esme simply answered and we walked together towards the cottage.

--

In our little kitchen in the cottage, I cooked soup for Renesmee. Out of instinct, I tasted the broth to make sure it's not salty. Sure enough, it tasted like dirt, "Blech!"

"Are you okay, love?" Edward was soon by my side.

"Just force of habit, I tasted the broth," I shivered as I remembered the taste.

"It's just a matter of getting used to," he kissed my cheek before heading back to Renesmee.

After I fed Renesmee, I set her bath. I put her in bed afterwards where she fell asleep right away after an exhausting day.

"She's always so peaceful when she's sleeping, isn't she?" Carlisle observed while looking down Renesmee.

"Like an angel," Esme stood beside her husband.

I looked at them and felt a pang in my dead heart. I've seen Charlie hold Renesmee, but I will never see Renee doing so. This will be too hard for her to imagine. I can't even start to think how I'm going to tell her that it will be difficult to visit her. How am I going to fake aging? What if she asked for a grandchild or grandchildren? I miss my mother, but like Charlie said, our situation is not for the light-hearted.

I was in deep thought when Edward's cell phone suddenly rang and we all jumped up. Edward answered the phone while peeking in Renesmee's bedroom to make sure that the ringing did not wake her, "Hello?"

"Edward, it's Alice. We just landed here in Rio. No one's answering at the house again. Where are you?"

"We're in the cottage. Emmett and Rosalie are, uhm, busy," Edward snickered. "Carlisle's here."

Edward handed the phone to Carlisle.

"Alice, how's your trip?" Carlisle asked as soon as he got the phone.

"It's fine, no problem at all. I'm guessing we should be meeting up with the Amazonians in a few hours," Alice answered.

"Tell them to be careful," Esme instructed Carlisle.

"I'm pretty sure you heard Esme. Do you know how far your phone connection will stay strong?"

"Carlisle, it's Jasper. I'm not sure. I'm not very familiar with the cell range here."

"Regardless, we expect a weekly update, okay, son?" Carlisle said in father-mode.

"Will do," Jasper asked.

"Be careful and come home soon. And remember, don't push your hunger, hunt as often as you can."

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. You thought us well," Alice replied on the line. She must be standing ear-to-ear with Jasper.

"Send our love to everyone." The line went dead and Carlisle turned off the phone. He sighed before he returned the phone to Edward.

I wanted to say something, just to take our minds of from worrying about Jasper and Alice, but I cant think of anything. Good thing Edward did, "How did this morning go when you turned in your resignation at the hospital?"

It was just this morning? It felt like it was days ago rather than just this morning when Jasper and Alice had left.

"They are sad to lose me since there are not a lot of doctors wanting to work in a remote place like Forks. But they are thankful that I gave them a month's notice, rather than what had happened the last time," Carlisle said, but abruptly stopping, remembering the painful memory that last departure have caused both our families.

Carlisle cleared his throat and continues, "When I told them that we are moving to Hanover since you and Bella got accepted in Dartmouth, they congratulated me for having such smart son." Carlisle looked at me, "I'm sure the same regards was forwarded to Charlie."

I just nodded. I don't know how Edward did it, but I'm so sure that he manipulated the admittance process in Dartmouth because there was no way that I would have been accepted in that school.

"How did her measurement go?" Carlisle changed the subject.

"Fine. She grew a centimeter. I wonder when will be the day that it will stop; she just keeps growing," I replied.

"That's why we're monitoring her closely. By the rate she's going, she might look like four years old by the time she turns one officially," Carlisle stated, almost sure of his calculation.

"I wonder if she'll be like Nahuel, stopped physical aging, looking fifteen," Edward said.

"It's hard to tell. They might be both half-breed but just between being male and female; venom-wise, they are already different," Carlisle said.

--

I don't know how much time has passed from our last conversation. This is the part I don't know how long before I could get used to, not sleeping. I guess the good thing is that Edward will no longer hear me talk in my sleep; that embarrassing period is over.

Esme and Carlisle were just watching Renesmee as she sleeps. I started reading Pride and Prejudice while Edward read Wuthering Heights. We don't have books here aside from what I brought. Most of their books are in the library in the main house.

The silence was interrupted when Carlisle's phone rang. He answered his phone as he swiftly went to the living room, making sure that the noise did not wake his granddaughter, "Hello, Rosalie."

With my vampire hearing, I could hear Rosalie's loud worried voice even though I was not standing right beside Carlisle, "Where are you?"

"We're in the cottage. Esme called me before I got home."

"Oh, okay. Well, uhm, all clear," it's all that Rosalie could say before hanging up. I heard her tone changed from worrying to a bit of embarrassment.

"Esme, we're allowed to go back to our own home," Carlisle called on his wife.

"Maybe we should buy two houses in Hanover, just in case," Esme said jokingly, as they head out the door.

--

The weeks quickly passed by. Before we know it, we only had one week left before we have to leave for Hanover.

I took pictures of Renesmee every week as I promised Alice so that she'll see how fast she's growing. They call us every week, as Carlisle instructed them.

So far, Alice hadn't tried expanding her ability yet. There was no luck in finding a werewolf in that area. They thought of visiting Nahuel and Hulien instead and maybe try her visions with Nahuel. They haven't located their scent yet; they figured that they might be hiding, just in case Joham's trying to find him again.

Zafrina asked when she'll be able to see Renesmee again. Alice shows her the pictures we send, and Zafrina is amazed how fast Renesmee's growing. I promised that we'll bring her to Amazon when her growth stops for good. It might cause some complication with the passport if she changes physical appearance compared with the picture.

--

"Edward, since we still have a little over a week left, do you think we can go for a quick trip?" I asked my husband while lying in our bed. Rosalie has Renesmee for the night and kicked me and Edward out. She said we should 'enjoy' the night.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I want to visit the Denalis before we go to Hanover. They haven't seen Renesmee since they were here last and now we are moving across the US. It's nice to say goodbye in person."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll tell Carlisle later. For the meantime…" Edward rolled on top of me and picked up where we left off from last night.


	5. Short Visit

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Just a side note, Edward and Bella's original honeymoon was cut short because of the pregnancy then the Volturi visit so I decided to throw in some romance on the side, ha ha ha.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

We started packing our bags for our short visit to Alaska. The Denalis are glad that we planned to visit. We did not get into details what the reason is for our visit, but they are happy that we are coming.

Before we left, I called Jacob to inform him about our quick trip. Thanks to Emmett's jeep, he got to the house in no time.

"Why do you need to go there?" It's the first thing that Jacob said as he entered the house.

"Well, Good Morning to you too!" I greeted him sarcastically.

"Seriously, why?"

"The Denalis are our extended family. We want to visit them, so that's what we're doing, so stay out of it," Emmett growled at him.

"Emmett, please, not helping," Edward spoke. "We are leaving for Hanover next week and we'll be gone for at least three months. They haven't seen any of us since they were here to lend a hand with our 'situation.' The least we could do is personally bid our temporary farewell before the move."

"I guess you have a point," Jacob conceded. "Emmett, heads up," he tossed the key for the jeep.

"If I find a scratch on my baby, I will break your limb," Emmett threatened but Jacob didn't care.

Jacob walked over to Rosalie to get Renesmee, "Let me hold her for a minute."

Rosalie obliged, "Here you go."

"What time are you leaving?" Jacob asked as toss Renesmee up in the air.

"We're just waiting for Carlisle and Esme," Rosalie replied. Carlisle and Esme went for a quick hunting trip as we prepare everything for the trip.

On cue, Carlisle and Esme entered the house, "Are we set to go?" Carlisle asked.

"Good Morning, Jake," Esme greeted.

"All the bags are packed and loaded. We're ready," Emmett got up from the sofa.

I walked towards Jacob to take Renesmee, "Say bye to Jake." I know he's not happy that we will be gone for five whole days. So he won't see Renesmee during that period of time, big deal. He'll just have to wait until we get back.

"Buh-bye, Jek."

"See you in a few days," Jacob kissed her on the top of her head and looked at me, "Just make sure Nessie's safe." I didn't get a chance to correct him when he used that little nickname he gave my daughter; he was already out of the door.

Edward drove his Volvo with me and Renesmee. The rest rode with Carlisle in the Mercedes. Thanks to the way vampires drive and not needing to eat, our two-day trip was cut into half; we reached Alaska the next day.

--

Tanya and Kate greeted us as soon as we parked the cars in front of their house, "Oh, it's so great to see you!"

Carmen, her mate Eleazar and Kate's mate, Garrett, followed.

Tanya took Renesmee in her arms, "Why, look at you, you've grown again since the last time we saw you."

Kate kissed Renesmee's head, "Such a pretty face." She then noticed our incomplete number, "Where are Alice and Jasper?"

Esme answered her, "They went to visit Zafrina and the Amazonians."

"The Amazonians? Why?" Carmen was puzzled.

"Why don't we go inside and catch up there? The cold may not be bothering us, but the child is half-breed," Garrett suggested as he help Edward and Emmett with our bags.

--

We are all settled in their living room. Tanya, Kate and Carmen are sitting on the floor in one corner around Renesmee with Rosalie, Esme and me. Renesmee is alternately telling them stories through her gift of touch. The men stood on different corners; Emmett, Edward and Garrett in one, while Carlisle and Eleazar are on the other.

"So," Carmen said loud enough to catch everyone's attention, "care to tell us why Alice and Jasper are in the Amazon?"

"Zafrina thought me something while they were with us, while all of you were in Forks," I started to explain.

I turned to Kate, closed my eyes, breathed deeply and braced myself, "Kate, use your gift; touch my hand."

"Why?" Kate asked, puzzled, but did it anyway.

"Ow!" I jumped, "that hurts."

"Now you know," Tanya giggled.

"How did it work this time?" Kate laughed.

"Zafrina thought me how to let my shield down."

"Now that is something," Eleazar spoke to everyone for the first time.

"I still don't understand what that has anything to do with Alice and Jasper," Carmen asked.

Edward stepped in, "Alice can see both human and vampires in her visions, but not shape-shifters nor half-breeds. She can't see Renesmee. She wants to know if there's any chance that she could work around it. We told her it is not needed, but she insisted."

"When was the last time you talked to her?" Tanya inquired.

"Last week. We told them to give us a weekly update. They should be calling in two or three days. We will let them talk to you when they call," Esme answered.

"That would be nice." Tanya and Kate said in unison.

I felt a lump in my throat when I remembered the real reason of our visit. "There is another reason for our visit."

All our hosts' eyes are on me and I lost my train of thought.

Edward continued what I was trying to say, "We are moving to Hanover. Bella and I are attending Dartmouth."

"You're moving that far? All of you?" Kate's voice broke at the end.

"I'm afraid so. I am pretending to be thirty-four when I can barely pass as thirty. The staff might get suspicious that I'm not getting any older," Carlisle explained.

"We are going to be back during school breaks so you can come down to Forks and visit us," Rosalie told Kate and Tanya who are greatly saddened by our news.

"Alice and Jasper will be back in September. Alice is throwing Renesmee's party when she officially turns one year old. So you really must come," I said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"We'll be there, of course," a tiny smile broke into Tanya's face.

"Oh, stop being so sad, it's not like we don't have centuries ahead of us," Garrett threw in a witty remark.

Everyone lightly laughed on that note.

"Did you hunt before heading here?" Carmen asked.

"Carlisle and I did," Esme answered.

"Speaking of hunting, Bella, love, we should go. Renesmee's hungry. She's been thinking about blood since we got here. I guess she wasn't satisfied with the food you packed for her," Edward said as he walked towards us and held out his hand. I gladly took it and carried Renesmee in my arms.

Emmett cleared his throat, "Rosalie, shall we?"

Edward glared at Emmett, "Don't head in our direction. I don't want to hear any of it."

Nobody's holding back now, everyone is laughing hard. Knowing Emmett and Rosalie, we knew exactly what Edward was referring to.

--

During our stay, we usually separated in little groups of conversation. We changed groups from time to time and sometimes repeating the same story. They asked how our relationship with the wolves changed after the Volturi left. They have been curious how fast Renesmee is growing. We asked Garrett how he's adjusting with the 'vegetarian' diet. They were curious how we got accepted to Dartmouth and I had Edward explain what he did.

"Send the application with a big fat check," he simply said, as if it's a normal thing to do.

"Oh great! If not for your bribe, I wouldn't be accepted. I bet I'll get kicked out in less than a year," I rolled my eyes at him. Everyone who heard it laughed.

--

Kate and Garrett's relationship pretty much got stronger in time. They are very affectionate of each other. Garrett hung around Emmett and Edward most of the time, mostly speaking in hush tones. From time to time, Garrett peeks at Kate when she's not looking. Call it feminine instinct, but I have a feeling there's something he wants to ask her.

"How are you doing?" I asked Garrett when I saw him by himself outside.

"Bella, hi. I'm doing good. How about you? How's being a mom?"

"As you can see, I barely get to play with my own daughter with my in-laws hovering over her. Good thing Jacob's not here, I might not even get a chance to hold her," I replied with a smile. "Looks like you and Kate really hit it off."

"Well, yeah. She's great," he answered as he ran his hand behind his neck.

"Hmmm, seems to me she's more than great," I teased.

"You noticed, huh? Well, I was talking to Emmett and Edward about it. I don't know, maybe I should get a woman's perspective on it."

"Perspective on what?" I asked innocently; I pretty much know where he's getting at.

"Well we just met more than a month ago, and well, I don't know, it just feels right," he replied, this time looking at the forest.

"If it feels right, just ask her," I suggested.

"What if she says no? Wait, did Edward tell you? I'm going to kill him."

"Hey, nobody's going to kill my husband. It's feminine instinct. Besides, I've seen how you look at her when she's not looking. I'm sure she'll say yes."

"How do you know that?" He asked.

I tapped on my head.

"Feminine instinct, got it! So uhm, when do you think I should ask her?" He asked, rocking his foot back and forth.

"There's no better time than the present. I assume you already got a ring?"

"Got it exactly ten days ago," he showed me a small box in his pocket.

"You've been carrying that thing in your pocket for ten days and you never got a chance, a moment to ask her? What would have happened if we didn't come and visit?" I raised my eyebrow on him.

"Well, let's just say I'm very grateful that you did," he smiled and started walking towards the house. "I feel like hunting, maybe Kate would care to join me." And with this, he took a deep breath and entered the house.

--

After a few hours, Kate rushed into the room, all giddy. She gathered all the women in the room, flashing her left hand. The ring has a citrine solitaire with diamonds lined up on each the side. "It's beautiful," we all gasped.

"Isn't it?" Kate giggled. "He said the stone reminded him of my eyes and that's how he knew it was 'the ring'," Kate cannot stop giggling, then looked at Garrett and winked at him. We all gathered around and congratulated both of them.

The guys are shaking Garrett's hand, except for Emmett who gave him a hard slap at the back and shouted, "Finally!" We all shushed him because Renesmee was sleeping.

Garrett looked at me and smiled. I just nodded my head.

Edward walked towards me, carrying a sleeping Renesmee, "Garrett's very grateful. What did you say to him?"

"Nothing; I just said that there's no better time than the present," I turned to him and gave him a peck on the lips. I took Renesmee from him and headed to the bedroom.

--

On our last full day in Alaska, Alice called. Kate went back to her giddy mode as she relayed the proposal to Alice. Alice screamed and got all excited. They talked for who knows how long before Kate passed the phone around. Alice and Jasper talked to everyone until the battery of their cell phone went dead.

"Alice said that we should hold the wedding on September so that she could plan it and it will just be one trip for all of us. It will be your summer vacation and our trip for Renesmee's birthday. She suggested that we hold it in the house, like Edward and Bella. She already has ideas on what flowers to use, what gown Tanya's going to wear as maid of honor. And Edward, please be a dear and play the piano for us. Eleazar will escort me, of course. And Renesmee's my little flower girl. It's going to be perfect. Oh, I should take a picture of my ring and send it to her." Karen said without stopping, only giggling every mid-sentence.

"Good luck," Emmett whispered to Garrett, but not low enough, we all heard it.

Rosalie threw a pillow on Emmett, "Ow!"

Garrett walked towards Kate and wrapped his arms around her waist and looked her in the eyes, "I don't need any more luck. I already got lucky when I met you."

"Awww," the women in the room all said in unison.

The guys groaned and headed out. "He's lost it," Eleazar chuckled.

--

The next day, we said our goodbyes.

"At least we know we're invited to the wedding for sure since it's going to be in our house," Rosalie teased as she hugged Kate and Garrett.

Kate and Garrett never let each other go the whole night. They look so cute together.

"I don't know how old Renesmee will look by then, but we'll start teaching her how to walk down the isle," I assured Kate and Garrett.

"If you have a chance, visit us in Hanover," Carlisle invited everyone.

We hugged each other and loaded the car. With last wave of goodbyes, we drove away.

--

A/N: There are so many characters in the book that I wanted to incorporate in my story, hence the plan to visit the Denalis. I want to get into some of them but not so much in this story, maybe a spin-off? *wink*

This actually started as a short chapter since it was just a short visit. When I was re-reading it for correction and polishing, I felt that I need to add more stuff; hence Kate's engagement. Then I started feeling Kate's giddiness so I kept on writing. When I got into detail for the engagement ring, I started looking for the perfect ring; it had to match the described colors of the 'vegetarian' eyes after hunting. I'm so happy when I saw 'the ring.' Check out my profile.


	6. Leaving Forks

A/N: Thanks to Zombie, Sabrina and jj for the reviews. Special thanks to nuni, my beta and also my avid supporter.

When I started this story, I knew exactly how the story should flow, until I got writer's block. Acckkk!!! I was stuck for almost a whole day, writing one sentence then erasing it. Then I decided to relax and pick up writing the next day. I just watched American Idol instead, hahaha.

I really need to focus on this story. There's so many ideas buzzing in my head but I can't seem to put it together. Sorry but I will only post a chapter if the next chapter to follow is already complete so apologies for upcoming delays. Writer's block seriously sucks!

***

Another A/N: In Breaking Dawn, Quil and Embry joined Jacob's pack. For the purpose of my story, Embry had to leave Jacob's pack because Sam decided to stop phasing and asked if he could take over. Both Jared and Paul declined because of their imprints and the others are still young. Embry is now La Push pack's alpha. Because of Claire, Quil joined Embry's pack. Both of them asked Jacob's opinion on both occasion, and as their alpha at that time, he told them that they should go back to the La Push pack.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

I felt bad for Renesmee; she must be worn out by our trip and as soon as we get back to Forks, it's time to leave again and fly to Hanover. I sat beside her at the back seat the whole trip just to make sure that she's all settled. She slept almost all the way back home, just waking up from time to time when she's hungry.

We arrived mid-morning the next day. I called Jacob to inform him that we're back and asked him to bring his family, the Clearwaters and Charlie for late lunch/early dinner later that day. This is going to be our last night before our early flight tomorrow morning; I wanted to hold a little goodbye dinner, for the humans. None of us needed to hunt as we all did when we were in Alaska a few days ago.

Not even an hour passed when Edward said that Jacob and Seth are on their way.

"I said late lunch. There's no food yet," I protested as I opened the door for them.

"I am not here for the food. Charlie will pick up Sue, Leah, Rachel and my dad later," Jacob walked passed me and went straight to Renesmee. "Nessie! Did you have fun there? Did any of the bloodsuckers hurt you?"

"Jacob! You will not use that term in front of my daughter, got it?" Edward was fuming.

"Calm down, sorry, it just slipped." Jacob and Edward are now glaring at each other.

"So, uhm," Seth spoke just to clear the air, "are you guys all set?"

"Yeah. Our bags have been packed even before we left for Alaska," Rosalie replied while watching TV with Emmett.

"How about your stuff here?" Seth asked, looking around the massive appliances around the house.

"We'll leave these here. We're only going to be gone for a few months," Carlisle answered.

--

After a few hours, the food was cooked and the table was set. A few minutes after, our guests arrived.

"Hi, Dad," I hugged Charlie when he entered the house. I nodded my head to everyone, and then I saw a familiar face.

"Rachel, hi," I greeted her. This is so awkward. I haven't seen Rachel since we were kids. Jacob said she moved back to La Push but we never got the chance to meet since it was during the complicated time for my new family. It was great to see her; we used to play together with her sister Rebecca when we were kids, but that's a long time ago. What's a proper way to show that you're happy to see someone you haven't seen forever? Do I hug her, shake her hand, curtsey? Now that thought is just stupid.

"Bella!" Rachel was ecstatic and hugged me. Well, that settled that. "It's great to see you!"

"It's been a long time!" I replied as I hug her back.

I saw Leah moved but Jacob stopped her, "She's in control, don't worry." Leah stopped on her tracks but didn't move her eyes from me. It's one thing that this is a house of vampires, it's another that there's a newborn in it.

"So, you're married now, and a mom," Rachel said as she let go.

"Yeah, amazing, isn't it? How about you?" I inquired.

"Well, I'm in no rush in getting married. It's not like I can get away from Paul anyway, imprint and all. So where's your kid?" Rachel looked around.

I felt a lump in my throat when she mentioned 'imprint,' but she didn't seem to notice. "Let me introduce you to her."

We walked towards Rosalie who carrying Renesmee at the time. "Rosalie, this is Rachel, Jacob's sister. Rachel, this is my sister-in-law, Rosalie." I took Renesmee from her arms, "And this precious angel is my daughter, Renesmee."

Rachel's eyes widened, "This is Nessie? But she's two!"

"Now, now, dear sister, need to know basis. It's complicated," Jacob joined us.

"Whatever you say. Well, she's very pretty. You know how to choose Jacob," Rachel winked at his brother then turned to me, "He told me about the imprinting business. We're going to a family!"

"Rachel!" Jacob exclaimed, "She's just a kid, geez. Besides, imprinting is involuntary. No wonder Emily doesn't like you around when Quil's with Claire, you throw words like that. Paul really rubbed off on you."

"Jacob, it's okay. Don't give yourself a heart attack," I told him and handed Renesmee to him to calm him down.

"Let me introduce to you to the rest of the family," I led Rachel around to meet everyone.

--

"You cook good food, Bella," Sue complimented after they finish eating.

"Thanks, Sue," if I could blush, I would have. I'm not used to being complimented with the way I cook, except by my mom and my dad, but they're family so they don't really count.

"I helped, too, mom. I peeled the potatoes for the stew," Seth informed his mother.

"That's your only use anyway," Leah snickered. Seth scowled at her.

"Kids, we're guests here. Behave." It was my dad. He's started to get used to acting like the Clearwaters' step dad.

"It's no problem, Chief Swan. None of the others can cause more trouble than Emmett alone," said Esme.

"You got that right! So who's up for a little video game?" Emmett announced from the living room.

--

The pack gathered by the TV with Edward and Emmett. Renesmee was seated on Rosalie's lap in the loveseat watching the others play the game. The parents are talking to each other, probably asking Carlisle and Esme about the living arrangement and other setup once we move to Hanover. This gave me the chance to talk to Rachel.

"Rachel, can I ask you something?" I don't even know how to start.

"Sure, Bella, what is it?" Rachel started going up the steps of the stairs with me. We sat midway.

"Well, your Paul's imprint right?"

"Yeah." I am pretty sure she's wondering where I'm getting at.

"Uhm, so how's does it feel? I mean, how did you react when you saw him?" I don't even know how to ask the question right.

Rachel straightened her skirt, giggled and said, "It was actually funny. When I saw him, it was like he had this light around him. Like some magical aura. Doesn't make any sense, does it?" She looked down at her hands, "After that, it felt like we don't want to be separated, ever."

"Was it like love at first sight?" It was a stupid question, but I don't know any other way to put it.

"I think that's one way of putting it. But, not really. I don't know how to explain it. Hmmm, well for me, I guess that's what it was, but I know it's not all just that."

She paused, thinking and continued, "Take Quil and Claire, for example. Claire's just two when Quil imprinted on her, so we can't really say it's love at first sight because that is just totally weird, don't you think?" I just nodded.

"Claire's always happy when he's around though. He's very patient with her even thought she's a handful most of the time. There's just a special connection, like a magnet or something. You see, Paul's very protective of me and puts me first on everything. He even tells me when he's going out for 'pack' business; it's not like he needed permission or I could stop him, but he still does it," Rachel shrugged at the last part of her sentence.

"I see." That's all I could say.

"Worried about Nessie?"

"Renesmee." I automatically corrected her.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Sorry, I automatically do that. I don't like it when Jacob calls her Nessie, like the Loch Ness monster. I want everyone to call her Renesmee." I took a breath. Bad idea, Rachel smelled good but I put that thought behind my head. "Yeah, you're right, I'm worried about her. Would you believe me if I tell you that she's just five months?"

"Really?" Rachel's eyes are wide.

"She grows really fast, obviously not normal. I know Jacob doesn't see her as a mate, like you and Paul, but sooner than later, she's going to be a full grown adult and well, it's going to be really awkward."

"Especially since Jacob used to have a big crush on you," Rachel told herself, but of course I heard it. I just acted as if I didn't hear her comment.

"Thanks for telling me about the imprint business. At least I'll know what to expect from these two when the time comes," I patted her hand.

"Don't know if it's any help, but sure, no problem," Rachel smiled.

"We should get going," my dad announced, "you have an early day tomorrow." He is addressing all of us, even though he now knows that we, vampires, don't sleep.

Rachel and I headed down the stairs and bid our goodbyes to each other's families, "Come and visit us when we're in town. You're welcome here anytime," I invited Rachel.

"I will. I'll sneak behind Paul's back if he won't let me," she winked. We hugged and they left.

--

The next morning came too soon. I started to feel the nerves inside me. Where is Jasper when you need him? Oh yeah, in Brazil.

Edward wrapped his arms around me, "You're going to be fine. You're not going to kill anybody."

"How can you be so sure?" I am really worried now.

"How's this? I won't let you out of my sight. I will hold your hand every step of the way," Edward kissed my hair.

"Okay, I can do this. I can do this. I can do this," I kept repeating it to myself like a mantra. I just hope that it'll work.

It was five in the morning and everyone is already gathered in our house. Jacob, Seth and Leah all looked like they just roll off from the bed. Charlie has always been an early riser so the time didn't bother him.

"Let's load the van so we could hit the road," Charlie started picking up some of the bags. He rented a fifteen-passenger van so it will only take one trip with everyone and our bags.

"Thank you for doing this dad," I kissed him on the cheek. If he was surprised with my cold temperature, it didn't show.

"It's nothing, Bells. It's the least I could do for the family."

--

The ride to the airport felt long since I've gotten used to vampire driving. Charlie stuck to the speed limit and Emmett was bored to death. The pack just went back to sleep, waiting to be woken up when we get to the airport.

Once we got there, we unloaded our bags and headed to check in. Everyone said their goodbyes to Charlie, I was the last.

"You take care there, especially your precious angel. I want pictures."

"Dad, you know it'll be easier if you get a cell phone with multimedia feature. That way, you'll get the picture sooner," I suggested.

"Bella, I was never into the technology stuff. Good ol' printed picture is what I want. I want to put it in a frame, although I can't put it on my desk at work…" he trailed off. I knew exactly what he was thinking off. It's weird to have a picture of your granddaughter who looks like two when your daughter just got married about six months ago.

"Bye, Dad. Take care of yourself, too. I'll call as soon as we get there."

"Bye, Bells. I will definitely miss you." We hugged each other one last time and he kissed my forehead before we walk in different directions.

For the first time in my life, I felt truly sad for leaving Charlie. I used to do this when I was a kid, when I am heading back to Phoenix, but we've gone closer in the last two years, even closer than me and Renee. I thought me and my dad are total opposites and have nothing in common, now I know he was more like me that I was like Renee.

--

A/N: The goodbye was a little sad, but I felt that Bella kinda lost her connection with Renee and had more connection with Charlie when she moved to Forks. Renee was not really mentioned so much in Breaking Dawn so I decided to make the father/daughter relationship deeper.


	7. Welcome to Hanover

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and Brokenquill, thanks for the suggestion.

Since I have drafted Chapter 8, here is Chapter 7 for you. Enjoy. Don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

As expected, the airport was packed with passengers. It didn't help that the people around us won't stop staring. You'd think that they will at least try to be a little discreet when observing us. But no, they are staring at us like we're alien. I was overcome with shyness that the last thing I thought about was jumping from my seat and devour the first human I can get my hands on.

My family was amazed with how much control I have being around humans. There was never a time during our trip that I was on a verge of losing it. I breathed normally and was not bothered by the human scent I concentrated on Renesmee and my companion rather than dwelling on the venom that strongly lingers in my mouth.

--

When we got to Hanover, we first went to house that Edward and I were initially going to occupy before I got pregnant. This was a two bedroom home where the pack will be staying in. Leah got her own room while Jacob and Seth share the bigger room. The kitchen is a little small for the pack, but the dining room will easily hold the three of them. Parked in the garage are two SUVs for them; a Jeep Laredo for Jacob and Seth to share, a Jeep Liberty for Leah.

Since Leah had a high school diploma, she got away from attending adult school; instead, she's going to be a receptionist in a travel agency. This was discussed between Sue, Carlisle and Esme. She would rather work than get allowance from the Cullens. Leah takes pride on herself.

The new house that Carlisle and Esme purchased was just a couple of blocks away from where the pack is staying. It is a two-story home with five bedrooms with bathroom on each room and a library. All couples had their rooms, including Alice and Jasper when they return. Renesmee has a room of her own as well. Since vampires don't sleep, our bedrooms will also serve as guestrooms in case we have human visitor, like Charlie. The library is not very big, but it is enough to hold all of us if we decide to study at the same time. The walls are lined with new books, mostly for display.

There are three cars parked in the garage of our new home. Carlisle and Edward stick to their old models, Mercedes and Volvo, almost exactly what they had in Forks. Rosalie decided to be inconspicuous and bought a family-friendly car, a BMW 750i sedan, totally different from her red convertible in Forks. She said that it's better just in case they want to drive Renesmee around. By around, she meant the mall. Emmett still hasn't decided what to buy and I declined since I have no intention going anywhere unsupervised, at least not any time soon.

--

I am freaking out. Really, really freaking out. I really miss sleeping; at least for a few hours, I will have some quiet brain time. From the moment we got to the house, I already started thinking about school. I had been pacing back and forth, going up and down the stairs, breathed unnecessary breaths.

At last, Edward can't take anymore of my uneasiness and he led me to our room, "Bella, love, you have to relax. Everything is going to be fine."

"Edward, you don't understand. This is worst than when I moved to Forks. At least back then I was human, I don't have to worry about killing people." There is no way for me to calm down.

"You are worried about killing people? How did you think I felt when you showed up in my school? I almost killed the entire class because of you," Edward tried to calm me down.

"So not helping! I don't know what I was thinking. You should have said no when I said I wanted to go to school. This idea is ridiculous. Maybe you should go; I'll stay here with Renesmee. Maybe Rosalie and Emmett would like to go with you." I sat on the bed, feeling total defeat.

Edward sat next to me and held my hands, "Bella, you have amazed everyone with the control that you have despite of being a newborn. Aside from Renesmee, it was tested with Charlie, Billy, Sue and Rachel. You did so well in the airport. You are in control; you can do this. And if it will make you feel better, just so you know, for at least this freshman year, we will have all classes together since we are just both taking the General Education requirements. I'm going to be with you, nothing to worry about." Edward kissed my forehead as I lean my head on his chest.

"Thanks, Edward."

"You're welcome, Bella. Always."

I guess this is it, no turning back. I am going to college tomorrow, another chapter of my life, my ever changing life. But like they always say, "Life goes on." Just so happen that mine will keep on going forever.

--

The next day came and my nerves are in frenzy again. At least this time, it had nothing to do with the worries of being around my human classmates. I don't want to leave Renesmee.

"Bella, it's only for four hours. It's not like you've never been apart longer than that," Rosalie was still convincing me to go. We have been at it for about an hour now and Edward and I need to leave for school in a few minutes.

"But, Rose, I will keep doing this every single day, for four days in a row. I feel like I'm abandoning my own daughter," I sobbed.

"Bella, dear, don't worry about it. I'm sure Renesmee will not think of it like that. Besides, she'll be sleeping after a couple of hours. When she wakes up tomorrow morning, you'll be by her side," Esme put her arm on my shoulder to ease my sobbing.

"I know you're right, Esme, I just don't like this feeling."

"You'll be fine," Esme squeezed my shoulder before letting me go.

"Don't worry, Bella. If she throws a tantrum, I'll let her bite Emmett," Rosalie joked and it brought a smile to my face.

"I am not a teether," Emmett grumbled while he continued watching TV.

"We should get going, love. Our class will start in 30 minutes and we don't want to be late on our first day," Edward was picking up our bags.

We both walked towards Renesmee, "Bye angel. Daddy and I are going to school so be nice to Aunt Rose and Gramma Esme, okay?" We kissed our daughter goodbye then walked to the car. This is going to be a long night.

--

Dartmouth College campus is huge, with buildings full of history. There are a lot of open spaces, it's a good thing we attend the night classes. It might not be so easy to go around if we go out during the day.

A lot of students are heading home from their classes. Only a handful like us is heading for the evening classes.

"This feels weird," I told Edward as we walked towards our building. "This is like Forks High School all over again. Everyone's staring," I whispered to Edward, too low for the human ears to hear.

"Remember that you look far more beautiful than every human in this campus so they will stare at you because of that. Just act normal. Breath and walk by me," Edward held me closer to him. Great, it now feels more like kindergarten than college. I need to have someone to hold my hand, or else I might run back to the car.

Now I know what it was like for the Cullens when they transfer to different schools. Everyone's ogling. Instead of me worrying about the scent of human, I stared on my feet while walking. If I could blush, I'm pretty sure I'll be as red as a tomato. I may never get used to this. Good thing Edward thought of enrolling me under my married name. This way, we can avoid any unwelcome interest in both parties.

--

Edward picked our schedule well. We have four classes for this quarter; two classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and two more on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have Fridays off.

"Our first class is Calculus then Psychology," Edward said, "then tomorrow we have English and Spanish."

"Edward, of all classes, why did you pick Calculus? I hate Math; I can barely do Algebra!"

"It's a requirement for graduation, so might as well get over it."

"You really don't want me to graduate, do you, Edward?"

"We will be in the same class, I'll tutor you," he squeezed my hand before we entered the classroom.

--

The first class, Calculus, went smoothly. No formal class was conducted yet; Professor Jones just gave our syllabus and the breakdown of his grading system then let us out after thirty minutes. Now, we have an hour before our next class.

Our second class was more hectic. Dr. Zander went on full lecture mode as soon as he handed out the syllabus. I can see that Edward was bored with the lecture; he had taken this class hundreds of times. For me, this is all new and it grabbed my attention. Who would have thought Psychology could be interesting?

The class was over after an hour and a half. "That's interesting, isn't it?" I teased.

"I've had better teachers than that guy. He is a tad boring," Edward complained as we headed to the car.

"You just think it's boring because you've taken the class before. By the way, what major did you declare for us?" It never occurred to me to ask until now.

"I declared Neuroscience for myself and English for you. I thought you might like it."

"Sounds good to me. Thanks."

We got in the car and drove home.

--

We got home around 9:30. I was surprised to see Jacob and Seth when we came in.

"Hi Jacob, hi Seth," I greeted them. "Hey Emmett. Rosalie. How's Renesmee?"

"She's fine. She fell asleep around eight. Esme's with her," Rosalie answered. She was on the dining table with Seth. Emmett is watching TV with Jacob.

Seth was cursing while ripping a piece of paper into small pieces, "I don't know why I agreed to going back to school!"

"Seth, easy on the paper," Jacob told him. He then turned to Edward and I, "how's your first day?"

"It was okay. Went better than I expected," I replied.

"So, I guess you didn't attack anybody," Jacob joked but Edward glared at him. "Easy, I was just kidding."

"What time is your class tomorrow? It's getting late," Edward asked with double meaning.

"Nice, Edward, kicking out your guests right away. Well, no can do. Seth's trying to solve his math homework and Blondie there is trying to tutor him, and Leah specifically instructed that he is not to go here alone. Besides, our class doesn't start until ten in the morning so it's not late yet," Jacob answered, while stretching his body across the sofa, feeling homey.

"How is Leah doing?" I asked. I didn't expect her to come by, but it's nice to know how she's doing.

"She's fine. She was about to sleep when we left about an hour ago. She's being a smarty pants, won't help me with my homework," Seth answered grudgingly while he shred another piece of paper.

"Will you please stop killing the whole forest?" Rosalie scowled at Seth.

"Wait, why aren't you in the library instead?" I asked. I thought the whole purpose of buying a house with a library is so we will have a place to study.

"Jacob is inconsiderate. Since he's doesn't have any homework, he wants to watch TV so he said I should just do my work down here," Seth grumbled.

"Stop whining, Seth. You only have two problems left," Rosalie forced Seth to focus his attention to his homework.

"How long do we have to pull off this whole adult school drama?" Jacob asked while he grabbed the remote from Emmett.

"Just get your GED then maybe either work or go to college," Emmett simply answered as he grabbed the remote back from Jacob.

"Sounds fair," Jacob commented.

"So not," Seth once again grumbled as he continued his work.

I headed up the stairs while the guys continue grumbling. I went to Renesmee's room and joined Esme as she watched over her.

--

Our second day was better. It was easier to say goodbye to Renesmee; it only took me about fifteen minutes this time rather than the hour yesterday.

School was a little bit better since I already knew what to expect. I like our English class. Professor Michaels seems like an interesting instructor. He says a little joke here and there to make sure that everyone is still paying attention. He gave us books to read, summarize and review. That's easy.

I can't say the same for Spanish; I will have to work hard in this class. I took Spanish when I was in Grade 9 but barely passed the class. It's a good thing that Professor Barrameda seemed nice and patient with students will little or no Spanish class background. However, she's not impressed with Edward who is fluent in Spanish. I don't think she appreciate it when students take her class to get a high grade without effort. Well, for me, it's a benefit that Edward's fluent; he can tutor me.

--

"Two down and two more days to go then we're done with the first week. What do you think so far?" Edward asked as we walked towards the parking lot.

"I think I'll survive."

"I told you you'll be fine," he smiled as he open the passenger door for me. Always a gentleman.

"Don't be so sure of yourself yet, Edward. We still have more than two months ahead of us." I gave him a peck on the cheek and slide down the passenger seat.

--

Our days became routine. Mondays to Thursdays, we go to school. On Fridays, we hang around the house or the park if it's gloomy. More often than I wanted, we go to the mall since Renesmee was growing fast and the clothes that we brought from Forks are getting small for her.

During the day, we teach Renesmee to walk down straight, pretending to throw petals around, for Kate's upcoming wedding. Esme also thought her to write her ABCs and count her 123s. Rosalie teaches her shapes and colors. After their classes, Jacob plays with Renesmee in the afternoon before doing his homework. He then sticks around and wait for Renesmee to sleep before going home. We bring her to our hunting trips from time to time, but mostly she eats human food with the pack.

Carlisle works at night, almost everyday. He works at Darthmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center at night for Trauma I Emergency. With him working there and being known as Dr. Cullen, we have to tell those who ask that Edward is Carlisle's adopted son.

Alice, as promised, called us every week. They finally came across Nahuel and Hulien. However, there was still no change on her visions; she still cant see anything whenever Nahuel is around. She was ready to give up but Zafrina asked her to try some more. Jasper changed his point of view now; he believes that Alice can tap into something around Nahuel so that she could see him in her visions. Jasper gave his full support to this mission, now more than ever.

--

The days passed quickly and before I know it, the Spring Quarter was over. With the help of not having to go to sleep, only hunting once a week, having a very smart husband as a tutor and in-laws taking care of Renesmee, I passed all my classes.

Seth and Jacob passed their classes as well and just needed a few more classes and they will soon get their GED.

Leah did well in her work. She barely visited us in the beginning; I think she did it just to show gratitude to Carlisle and Esme. When time continually pass, being the only female in their house and having no other friends, she came around and starting to loosen up a bit. Lately, she'd been visiting more often after work and during weekends. She sometimes joins the pack for dinner and the rest of us when we play video games. She became close to Esme; I guess she missed having Sue around.

--

Everyone is looking forward to going back to Forks on September for Renesmee's birthday and Kate's wedding. I continually sent Alice, Jasper and Charlie Renesmee's picture every week. Since the last time they saw her, she looked two. Now, she looks three and still growing.

Carlisle worked out his schedule with the hospital. We are leaving for three months and since he's working at night, almost every night of the week, they let him have the three months off as it was initially indicated on his job offer. He used the same influence to help Leah get time off. However, she will only have two months, thus she's leaving a month after we do. Seth decided to stay behind and fly back with his sister. Jacob, although he hate the idea of being apart from Renesmee, who he dearly treats as a younger sister, decided to stay as well to keep an eye on his small pack.

--

A/N: I cant write so much about Bella and Edward's college life since they pretty much keep to themselves. I'm kinda rushing to get to the grown up Renesmee, hahaha.

I got the idea of the travel agency where Leah works from My Big Fat Greek Wedding but don't worry, she wont be imprinting on a customer.

Like it? Hate it? Please let me know.


	8. Pleasant Surprise

A/N: As always, thanks to those who took time to review my work. I hope that you continue to like it.

Dear readers, I'm on a roll. So here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

I am looking forward to going home. I thought I will never say this, but I miss Forks. I missed the smell of wet grass and the green colored forests. I missed the mist brought by almost never ending rain. I missed our meadow where we go to relax. And most of all, I missed my dad.

I called Charlie yesterday to tell him that we are going home for the summer vacation and will be arriving in two days. He was happy with the news and we arranged our transportation. I told him that Jacob, Seth and Leah will not be coming home with us just yet because Leah had to stay an extra month at work.

--

My family is happily packing our bags for our trip the next day. We don't have to pack a lot of stuff since we left behind most of our clothes. We mainly packed a hand carry each.

While we were gathering our things together, I can't help but notice Jacob's sadness. He will surely miss Renesmee, and this was not like the other time we left. We were only gone for five days back then. Now, it's going to be a whole month.

"Jacob, are you sure you don't want to come with us? I'm pretty sure Edward can buy another ticket," I offered.

"I'd love to, Bella, but I have a pack to take care of. I'm an Alpha first before anything else," Jacob answered while holding a sleeping Renesmee in his arms.

I see how Jacob holds Renesmee. He treats her like a delicate flower and always making sure that everything she wanted was fulfilled. He is the best big brother Renesmee could have. Although it is just temporary, I felt bad for taking her away from him for any period of time.

"Stay for the night. I'm sure Renesmee will like it when she wakes up and sees you," I told him.

"Are you sure Edward wouldn't mind?" Jacob asked but I can see the joy in his eyes.

"It's fine," Edward called from upstairs.

"Thanks, you guys, I greatly appreciate it." Jacob cradled Renesmee in his arms properly before heading up the stairs to put Renesmee in her bed. She's as big as three and a half year-old girl, but with Jacob's big frame, she looks like a tiny little one-year-old.

When Jacob was out of sight, I sighed heavily.

"Care to tell me what you're thinking?" Edward asked.

"He's a good big brother, for now. How long do you think we have before the big brother turns to lover?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"No idea either, huh? I guess it's better that it's Jacob, at least we know we can trust him."

"Funny how I trust him now, when before, I could not even imagine letting him near you," Edward walked towards me and wrapped me in tight embrace.

I smiled as I leaned to his chest. I knew exactly what he meant. I'm happy that the past is behind us.

--

When we got to the airport, we had a little problem. Renesmee won't let go of Jacob.

"Renesmee, angel, you have to let Jake go. We'll miss our flight," Edward told her as he tries to pry her little fingers from Jacob's shirt with no success. She gripped his shirt tighter.

"But, Daddy, we can't leave Jake!" Great! For the first time, Renesmee is going to throw a tantrum, and in all places, she's going to do it in the airport.

"Oh, that's unfair. You won't miss me?" Seth asked her.

With that, Renesmee grabbed Seth's shirt as well.

"Good job, mutt, now we have to two problems," Emmet grumbled.

Seth easily managed to take Renesmee's fingers from his shirt. I'm afraid it's not the same in Jacob's case.

I stepped in and Edward let me hold part of Renesmee, "Angel, you'll see Jacob soon. We're going today, but he'll be flying soon. Then when we go back here, he's flying back with us." I looked at Jacob to help me out convincing my daughter to let his shirt go.

"That's right, Nessie. It's just for today. I will be there before you know it," he lifted his finger and pointed on Renesmee's nose.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now, be a good girl and go with your mom," Jacob kissed her forehead as successfully pried her fingers totally off his shirt. I know we could have easily done it with our strength but there's no way we will force Renesmee nor risk of hurting her.

"Bye, Jake. See you soon," I gave him a hug before taking walking towards the check-in area where my family had been waiting.

"Bye, Bella. Bye Nessie."

"Buh-bye." Renesmee waved at Jacob and Seth until they turned around and head back to the parking area.

--

Just like last time, the people in the airport are staring. I am not even surprised, but it is still uncomfortable.

"Men," Edward grumbled. I'm sure he's hearing a lot of unwelcome thoughts in his head.

"Like you're not one of them," I joked.

"Can't they see that all three of you are with your husbands?" Edward had been on my side, holding Renesmee; I am holding his arm. Emmett has his arm on Rosalie's waist. Carlisle is holding Esme's hand as they walk ahead of us.

"You're one of them, why don't you figure it out?" I chuckled. If he could turn red, I'm sure he would be red with fury.

"And how do you explain the women?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, that's easy. You're gorgeous," I winked and he relaxed a bit.

When we reached our gate, Edward took Renesmee to walk around. I think he can't stand hearing the thoughts of the people around us any longer. I took this chance to ask Rosalie how she could get used to people ogling over her.

"Silly, Bella, the attention is always welcome," she answered as she flipped her hair.

"Right." I sighed. Why did I even ask her? Rosalie is definitely the wrong person to ask; she loved the attention.

"I usually just ignore them," Esme whispered and just smiled when I looked at her. "Usually, a book helps." With that, she went back to reading 'The Host.'

--

Edward and I sat together, while Renesmee sat between Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie will not have it otherwise.

Carlisle and Esme are seated behind us, pretending to sleep.

Emmett kept Renesmee entertained by giving her crayons and the guide from the backseat pocket. She colored all the pages of the safety guide and moved on to the magazines. I am sure the airline will hate us after this, especially since we sit in First Class.

Note to self: bring coloring books for Renesmee next time, if they will let us fly again, that is.

--

We easily got off the plane and went straight to arrival since we didn't have any checked bags. I looked around to find Charlie, but I was surprised to see two figures; a pixie and a blonde.

"Alice! Jasper!" I screamed as we all rushed to hug them.

"Surprise!" Alice greeted as she hugged everyone.

"When did you get here?" Carlisle asked them.

"Just two days ago. Alice saw Charlie at the airport in her vision, so we decided to pick you up ourselves," Jasper answered as he hugged Esme and receive a hard pat on the back from Emmett.

"I called Charlie yesterday to tell him that we'll pick you up. Speaking of, we have to go straight to his house, he's waiting for us," Alice told us as walk towards Rosalie.

"Oh, look at you, you've grown so much. The pictures don't do you justice!" Alice exclaimed as she held her arms out for Renesmee to move towards her.

"As you can see, I dress her up properly," Rosalie said as she hand Renesmee to Alice.

"I can see that," Alice said then both she and Rosalie looked at me from head to toe. They both laughed.

"Ha ha, very funny," I said sarcastically.

Jasper led us to the van. We loaded our things and drove off.

--

"Did any of our friends come with you?" Carlisle asked as soon as everyone is in the van.

"Unfortunately, none of them could join us. Alice saw three vampires heading to where we were; a male and two females. She described them to Nahuel. He said it was Joham and probably his two sisters," Jasper answered.

Alice continued, "Hulien said that it is better if we leave soon so that they will not trace our scent. They don't want us to be bothered by their relatives. That's why we got here earlier than planned. The Amazonians agreed to stay with them, just in case they need help."

"That's too bad; they can't come to the wedding and the birthday party," Rosalie sighed.

"Zafrina was looking forward to seeing everyone, especially Renesmee and the Denalis." I can hear the sadness in Alice's voice, but it suddenly went from sad to excited.

"Speaking of the Denalis, I talked to Kate and Garrett. I suggested that they move their wedding from September to August so that they could have a whole month for honeymoon before having to go back for Renesmee's birthday party!"

"You had it all planned out, didn't you, Alice?" Esme smiled.

"Nothing stops that pixie from party planning," Edward chuckled.

After that, we all rode in silence. In a few minutes, we are in Charlie's house. His cruiser is parked outside; he's definitely home.

As soon as Jasper turned off the engine, the front door opened, "Welcome back, everyone!" Charlie greeted.

I ran to him and lightly hugged him, "Hi, Dad!" I am getting used to control my strength and my hunger for human blood.

"How's your flight, Bells? I would have picked you up if Alice didn't insist that they got it all taken care of."

Charlie always liked Alice. She practically had him wrapped around her little fingers.

"Flight's fine, Dad."

"Charlie." Everyone greeted him. He nodded to them.

Renesmee had now fallen asleep in Edward's arms. He's the last to enter the house.

"Good Evening, Charlie," Edward sounded so formal.

"Edward, how are you?"

"Doing good. Sorry, she fell asleep in the van," Edward handed Renesmee to Charlie.

Charlie extended his arm so he could properly hold Renesmee, "I cant believe you were only gone for three months. She's grown so much."

"I know, dad. We're just a surprised as you are, and we live with her."

Emmett and Jasper already found their way to the TV and started watching the game. Alice and Rosalie joined them while Esme, Carlisle, Charlie, Edward and I headed to the kitchen. Charlie was still holding Renesmee. Edward to stood by the counter as we talked.

"How's everything over there? What's the story?" Charlie asked casually. He's gotten used to the fact that my new family is not normal.

"Well," Carlisle started, "I am working night shift at the hospital while these two," he pointed to us, "attend the evening classes. Rosalie, Esme and Emmett watches over Renesmee during the night when they are out. No need to pretend adoptions since they are adults, college students."

Charlie turned to me, "How did you do in school?"

"Everything worked out fine, and I got good grades. Got a good tutor," I turned to Edward and winked at him.

"How about this angel; what's she's been up to?" Charlie asked as he kissed Renesmee's forehead.

"She knows the alphabet, numbers, colors and shapes now. Rosalie and I are 'home-schooling' her," Esme smiled.

"She's going to be a smart girl, maybe even smarter than her mother," Charlie winked at me. I smiled at him.

"Home run!" Emmet shouted from the living room. We were all startled and Renesmee woke up and cried.

"Idiot!" Rosalie smacked Emmett's head with a pillow as she glided to the kitchen.

Esme already had Renesmee in her arms, hushing her.

"Sorry, the Mariners' winning," Emmett apologized while he stood by the door frame.

"I'm sorry, dad, we should get going. She wont stop until she's laid on her bed," I told my dad. I know he's also dying to see the game before it ends.

"It's okay, Bells. You must be tired from you trip."

I laughed at his statement since we don't get tired. He caught on right away, "Oh, yeah, right. Still need time to get used to that one."

"Good night, Charlie," everyone bid their goodbyes to him as we started to load the van.

"Good night, Dad. Come by when you have time."

"Will do, Bells. Good night." He kissed me on the forehead then I rode in the van and we drove away.

After a few minutes, we are back in the three-story house that I now call home.

--

A/N: This started as a part of the a chapter I was going to call 'Party' but when I was proof-reading, I added some more scenes that kind of lengthen it so I decided to make this a separate chapter since it is long enough.

I decided to throw in The Host just for the heck of it, in respect to Stephenie Meyer.


	9. Barbie

A/N: I'm not getting much reviews. I hope I'm doing good in writing my story; want to know if you like where my story is headed. Any comments, good or bad, are welcome.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

Alice went directly to wedding-planner-mode the next day. She practically bossed everyone around. Carlisle wished he stayed in Hanover longer and just took a flight with Jacob and the others. He made his escape by going to Forks Hospital to 'visit.'

--

"Bella, I need you to come with me to Seattle," Alice practically dragged me while I'm cleaning up the food that Renesmee didn't eat.

"Why me? Take Rosalie," I protested.

"Rosalie and I had too much of the same taste, I need another opinion."

"Then take Jasper," I suggested, trying to get out of this shopping trip.

"Seriously, Bella, guys are useless with this kind of thing. Besides, Jasper's out. Boy can't take the excitement anymore."

"Take Esme then," I looked at Esme and her eyes are wide. "Sorry, Esme," I whispered to her. "Fine, Alice, but three hours only!"

"That's impossible! We need at least eight hours," Alice exclaimed with disbelief.

"Four!" I countered.

"Seven, c'mon Bella, be reasonable."

"Five, or else, you can go by yourself," I stared down at her.

"Fine! You are impossible!" She then grabbed my arm and pulled me to the garage.

"I hope you're not planning to take your Porsche. I don't think anything will fit in that car."

"No, I took Edward's keys. Too bad Edward returned your 'before' car, it's much more roomy than this." She unlocked the car and we drove off.

--

We first went to the flower shop where she ordered dozens of tulips in different colors. "Kate loves tulips," she told me even though I didn't ask.

You would think she would only take a few minutes in the flower shop since she know what flowers to get, but she cant make up her mind on what kind of bouquet and arrangements to get.

It took as a good hour to get the flowers picked out.

--

Next stop was party decorations. "Why can't you just use the ones you had in my wedding?" I asked. Big mistake.

"Bella! I can't believe you just said that! That was your wedding, this is Kate's. You definitely can't have the same décor. We can't have your wedding pictures having the same background. The thought is just absurd! And not to mention those are so last year; I threw those away. Things now are so totally different." Alice exclaimed.

If we needed to breathe, I'm sure Alice would be hyperventilating.

"Easy, Alice. I didn't know. You know, it's me, Bella," I shrugged.

It worked; she calmed down, "Sorry, I'm just in so much pressure to get things together."

"You can do this; you're Alice after all," I smiled at her. She relaxed and the shopping went on.

--

Third stop: Dresses. "This is why I brought you with me. I need you for fitting," Alice said.

"Then, why did you just bring me? Rosalie should have been here too."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Rose will make her trip tomorrow; I just need you to help me pick out the dresses. I think you and Tanya have the same frame, so we don't have to worry so much about hers; I'll use you as my model. In case it needs adjustment, I can do that myself."

"Damn pixie," I mumbled. I know Alice heard me, but she could care less.

I picked out some dresses but Alice said they are either too covered up or the color is boring. Obviously, she doesn't need my opinion; I'm here as her personal life-size Barbie doll.

I don't know how many dresses she forced me to try on before she even decided what color scheme she's going for.

"Alice, I'm tired and you only have a little over an hour left so make up your mind," I grumbled as I take off the last dress she shoved in the dressing room.

"Oh, stop whining Bella. Here, I think this looks good. This might be it," Alice put another hanger inside the dressing room.

"That's what you said about the last ten dresses!"

"Oh, but this is the one I saw us in."

"You could have picked it out from the beginning you know."

"I have just decided on the color and design ten minutes ago, so I just saw that dress in my vision about a minute ago," she smiled and glided to the waiting area.

I put on the dress; it's simple but elegant. It's wheat colored tube top floor length dress with copper/bronze sash on the waist.

"Alice, I must say, this is beautiful. Good fit, too," I told her as I head out the dressing room.

"Isn't it? And I found the dress for Tanya, just switching the color. Here, try this one on."

Instead of protesting, I tried the next dress just to get it over with so that we could go home. I showed it to Alice and she's happy with it.

Unfortunately, we can't buy a dress for Renesmee just yet. "Better we wait last minute just in case she grows more in the next few weeks," Alice said.

--

I don't know why we have to go to Sephora. Alice has zillions of make up already. "But this is a special occasion, thus, new make up. Besides, I'm not sure if I have the exact shade to match the dresses."

Liar, I thought. I know she has all shades of make up available. She has a cabinet full of them!

"I really hate you right now, Alice," I told her as I take out the first make up that the sales rep put on me.

"I know, Bella," Alice simply said as she picked out another set of color. "I think we need more copperish than the bronze to give her more pop. Try this one." She handed another set of make up to the sales rep.

This is much worse than the dresses. I looked like a clown with all the make up they put on me. Alice wanted a subtle look while the sales rep keeps insisting to put more color to my face as I look a little pale, if she only knew why. I wanted to cry.

When I thought that all hope is gone, they finally agreed on the color and application. Alice made the purchase and we head out.

--

"Last stop, shoes!" Alice sound too excited.

"Oh, great!" I rolled my eyes.

Amazingly, the shoe shopping didn't take as long as picking the dresses. It really helped that Alice made up her mind already on what she wanted us to wear that it was easier to find the shoes. She went straight to the bronze colored shoe rack, but I could not believe what she picked out.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I exclaimed as she showed me the three-inch slingback shoe.

"Bella, you're indestructible," she said low enough so I'm the only one who could hear.

"Yeah, but I can still stumble and fall on my face!"

"Just try it on and I'll be the judge of it."

It does look good, and I can walk properly.

"Seems fine," I simply told Alice.

"Told you!" Alice got up and helped me out of the shoe as she heads to the counter. "I need 4 pairs of this please."

--

We got home and Alice called the guys to help. They grumbled as they walk out of the door to lend us a hand.

"Kate and Garrett are family, lighten up people!" She shouted as she pop up the trunk of the Volvo.

"I don't know why she's making us do this; she can get all of these by herself," Emmett grumbled as he pull some more bags from the car.

"At least it's not your jeep she's driving around. Can't even use my own car," Edward complained.

"Edward, stop whining and keep unloading. The sooner we unload, the sooner you can get your car back," I instructed him as I take my share of the load. "You have no right to complain; I was the one who got dragged around Seattle to buy this stuff and play Barbie doll."

--

When I entered the house with armload of bags, I saw Esme guiding Renesmee to walk down the stairs. Rosalie is waiting at the bottom of the steps. As soon as Renesmee saw me, she ran down the stairs and straight to my arms. Good thing I put down all the bags I have so I managed to carry my daughter in my arms and give her a not-so-tight hug.

"Did you see me, mommy? I was practicing," she started telling her stories through her gift; she put her hand on my face and showed me the dozens of times they went up and down the stairs.

"She takes instructions pretty well," Esme told me as she pat Renesmee's head when she passed by.

"That's good, angel. Are you tired?" I asked Renesmee.

"No, but I want some cookies. Aunt Rose promised I can have some when you get home."

I put her down so we could walk to the kitchen, leaving the guys finish up unloading the car. I already brought the shoes in. It's just the dresses and party decors; they can take care of those.

Esme started opening some of the party decors to see how much decorating Alice is planning to do. Edward and Emmett sat in front of the TV, ignoring us.

After getting the cookies and not quite on the living room yet, I heard Rosalie squeal, "Alice, this is beautiful. I can't wait to get mine!"

"Tanya's is almost the same, just switching the colors," Alice showed the other dress.

"Good choice, Alice." Esme took the hanger from Alice's hand as she try to go through the boxes.

"And check out the shoes," Alice waved them up.

"Nice pick! Love it!" Rosalie checked out the boxes to find her size. She slide her feet into the shoes, "Look at that, very nice."

"I like it, Aunt Rose," Renesmee commented when we got close to them.

"Well, looks like our niece has good taste, definitely didn't get that from mommy," Alice kissed Renesmee's hair.

"Oh, shut it," I snapped at Alice.

"Did you try on yours, Bella?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, I did. Amazingly, I did not fall on my face."

"It's just a way of getting used to. You should really try the shoes I bought for you that are still untouched in your closet," Alice commented as she re-boxed Rosalie's shoes.

"Bella, try on the dress, I want to see how it looks," Rosalie handed me the dress. "Alice, give her the shoes, I want to see the whole picture. Good thing she still has the make up on."

"I am not a Barbie, you know."

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I would like to see it as well," Esme requested.

"Esme…" is all I could say before I grabbed the dress from Rosalie and the shoes from Alice. How could I say no to Esme? I headed up to Edward's old room to change. In a flash, I am on my way down.

"Oh, that is beautiful. Good job, Alice," Esme said as she put her arm on Alice's shoulder.

"I know that already, but it still nice to hear," Alice smiled.

"Mommy, you're so pretty!" Renesmee exclaimed.

With that, Edward turned his head and his mouth dropped.

"Close your mouth Edward, or a fly might land in there," Emmett chuckled.

I looked at Edward and winked at him.

Edward went to my side and slid his arm on my waist, "I would love you marry you again if that's what it'll take for you to dress up like this." Then he kissed me on the neck.

He faced me and it looked like he was going to scoop me up when Alice shrieked, "Edward, don't even thing about it! You'll ruin the dress!"

"Lovebirds, not in front of the kid," Rosalie got our attention and Edward let go.

--

A/N: This is a just-for-fun chapter. This is supposedly the second part of 'Party' (refer to previous chapter) but I missed Alice so much that I decided to make this chapter almost all about her shopping frenzy. Hopefully I can get to the end of the 'Party' plot by the next one.

For the bridesmaids dresses and shoes, check out my profile.

Next chapter might have a shocker *gasp!*


	10. Parties

A/N: Final part of the 'Party'. This is a bit longer than the others.

_Italic _is a conversation Bella heard but she's not a part of.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

The next few weeks were hectic. Alice and Esme started discussing how they will put up the decorations and where the flowers would go. Rosalie already made her trip to Seattle to buy her dress. The guys were lucky, they can wear their old suits; they just needed to get new shirts and tie.

Renesmee already mastered her steps on the stairs, although I would still prefer that Esme guide her. I know she's probably indestructible like me, but I keep thinking that she's half human.

--

In mid-July, the pack arrived. Jacob hung around the house almost everyday. Sometimes, Seth goes with him since there's not so much to do in La Push. Leah only visited once, on their second day back. She stays in La Push most of the time, spending time with Sue.

Jacob planned to spend most of his time playing with Renesmee, but Alice took advantage of Jacob's height and asked him to help in hanging some of the streamers.

"Isn't this a little too early for Nessie's party?" he asked.

All of us looked at each other. We forgot to mention the wedding to Jacob.

"Uhm, Jacob, here's the thing. The Denalis are coming over in two weeks because Garrett and Kate are getting married," I answered his inquiry.

"They are coming here?"

"Yes. They were supposed to get married next month, but it was pushed earlier so they could go away for their honeymoon before Renesmee's birthday," Alice answered this time.

"You can join us, of course, if you like," Esme invited him.

"You sure? No problems with you Cullens, can't say the same for the others," Jacob asked.

"They are family," Edward said.

"I know, but it's not the same. Our treaty's with you, not with the others."

"Seth met them in our wedding. I think it should be fine," I had to stop myself. Jacob might not want to remember that detail in our lives.

"Okay, then. We'll be here," Jacob said.

With that, the conversation was dropped and we just continued decorating.

--

First week of August, the Denalis arrived. The preparation is almost done, just the minor details and one major.

"You're here," Alice squealed.

"It's great to see you!" Kate and Tanya hugged Alice, but Alice went on her planner-mode too soon.

"Tanya, go upstairs. Your dress is on my bed, try it on. We'll be there in a few," Alice instructed.

"Aren't you even going to let them settle down?" Jasper asked.

"Oh, please, we're vampires. We don't get tired. Carlisle, please be a dear and bring Garrett and Eleazar for tux fitting in Port Angeles since you've been hiding, pretending to visit Forks Hospital. Jasper, you go with them; might as well do something useful rather than sneaking out."

"You know what, we'll come with you," Emmett and Edward volunteered. It might be the smartest thing they thought of since the start of this crazy wedding planning. All six of them left.

Not letting anyone else to interrupt, Alice turned to Kate and started explaining what's been going on.

"I already ordered the flowers and will be delivered on 'the day' so that it won't wilt or anything. We are done with the decorations. The guys are on the way to get the tux. Esme and Carmen will be heading out tomorrow to Seattle to pick their dresses. Garrett already has the rings. So, we're good?" Alice asked Kate.

"Um, I guess?" Kate was not even sure how to answer her; Alice got everything taken cared of.

"Good. Wait here," Alice instructed Kate, as she went up the stairs and told me and Rosalie to follow her. We went to Alice's bedroom to find Tanya in her maid of honor dress.

"Oh, look at you, it fits!" Alice giggled.

"Amazing. How did you know my size?" Tanya asked.

"I used Bella as my model then I altered it just a tad bit."

Alice started pulling out the dresses from her closet and handed me and Rosalie our dresses, "Put it on so we could show Kate the dresses. Tanya, the shoes are underneath the bed."

As soon as we are all dressed, Alice opened the door and we headed down the stairs.

"Oh, look at you all," Kate exclaimed. She's so overwhelmed she could cry.

"All for your wedding, Kate," Esme patted her shoulder.

"You all look amazing," Carmen said.

"You will, too, Carmen. Just wait 'til tomorrow," Alice said as she glided down the stairs.

"So, I guess you liked it, sis?" Tanya asked.

"Oh, it's beautiful. All of you are."

"Kate, I hope you don't mind. We invited Jacob and his pack for your wedding," Esme said shyly.

"Which ones are they?" Carmen asked.

"The two who usually hang around here last time and the female. You've met Seth in our wedding," I answered.

"Any friends of yours are friends of ours," Kate said.

She looked around and asked, "Where's my flower girl?"

"She's taking a nap. All the excitement drained her," I answered, nodding towards the sofa.

"Poor thing," Tanya headed towards Renesmee.

"Don't worry, she'll be bouncing up and down in no time," Rosalie said following Tanya.

--

As soon as we finish changing out of the bridesmaids dresses, Alice headed down the stairs right away.

"Alright, Kate, let's go!" Alice shrieked.

"What are you talking about? Why? Where are you going?" Esme asked.

"She doesn't have a wedding dress yet," Alice answered.

We were all shocked, "What!? But the wedding's next week."

"Relax, people. I got this. So, if you'll excuse us, Kate let's go." Alice called her as she headed to the door.

Kate looked worried as she held onto Carmen. I walked to her, "Don't worry, Kate. She knows what she's doing. At least she's letting you come with her when she picks out your wedding gown. She chose mine without asking me."

"You loved it, and so did your husband. Now, c'mon Kate!" She called as she exited the door.

Carmen squeezed Kate's hand, "You'll be fine." She let her hand go.

Hesitantly, Kate walked out the door and got in the Porsche.

--

The next few days passed and before we even notice, tomorrow, it will be Kate's big day.

"Garrett, sorry, you're out," Alice said as he led him towards the door.

"What? Where am I going?" Garrett asked, confused.

"Don't you worry about that. The guys will give you some kind of a bachelor's party. And then you'll go straight to the cottage, no sneaking back here."

"You're not serious about this old fashion stuff!" Garrett protested.

I saw Jasper signaling him to drop it, so he did. They headed to the door.

Then other guys got up and left behind them.

"So, what do they really do?" I asked. I remembered when Emmett and Jasper took Edward the night before our wedding.

"They just hunt and tell embarrassing stories about themselves," Rosalie answered.

"Well, in this case, they will probably try to dig dirt from Garrett so they could use it next time," Alice said.

"And what are we going to do?" Carmen asked.

"We will watch sappy old movies while we paint our nails." Alice walked towards the TV and put in 'An Affair to Remember.'

--

"Finally!" Kate screamed as soon as the sun rose the next morning.

"Someone's excited to get married," Carmen smiled as we all laughed.

"I have never been married before so this is all new to me," Kate glided around us as we sat in the living room.

She suddenly stopped, "Alice, are they going to be here on time?"

"Relax, Kate, the wedding is not until six tonight."

"Can you please check, just to make sure?" Kate asked Alice to tap into her vision.

"Chill, Kate." Alice closed her eyes, "everything's going to be fine."

"I'm getting married…I'm getting married…" Kate started singing and started to grab Tanya to dance with her, who in turn grabbed Alice.

"Careful with your toes," I told them as I stood up. "Esme, we better get started with the food for human. Renesmee might be up soon."

Esme nodded, happy not to be a part of the dancing queens.

--

Esme and I finished preparing the food for our guests and for Renesmee after a couple of hours. She baked a simple cake, just for decoration.

The flowers arrived mid-morning and Alice finished up the final décor.

Since it's only our family and a couple of friends that are coming, we could easily fit inside the house. Rosalie called Emmett, Jasper and Edward to help in re-arranging the furniture in the house so we could have room for dancing. Well, they could have room. I may be a vampire now, but I'm afraid my dancing skills have not improved.

Jacob and Seth arrived at 5:30. Leah might be loosening up to my family, but I can't stay the same with the other vampires.

We all got ready and soon enough, the guys arrived from the cottage dressed in their suits and tuxes.

--

Six o'clock.

Edward sat on the piano and started playing.

First to come down was Alice, then me, then Rosalie, then Tanya.

Carmen and Esme escorted Renesmee as she carefully went down the steps of the stairs, tossing stems of tulips as she descends.

When we are all down the stairs, Eleazar opened the door from Carlisle office, where they were waiting for their cue, to lead Kate. None of us have seen her dress except for Alice who picked it out with her. She's wearing an ivory low v-neck floor length gown.

"She's beautiful," I heard Garrett gasped, not letting his eyes drift anywhere but her. I smiled as I look at Kate whose gaze never left Garrett.

After Eleazar handed Kate to Garrett, he stood beside him. Garrett has asked him to be his best man as he is the person who had seen how their relationship grew in just a few weeks.

I knew Carlisle was up to something when he kept on missing around the house. I didn't know then, but I know now. He acquired a license to marry. He conducted the wedding ceremony of Kate and Garrett.

--

The ceremony was short. Jacob, Seth and Renesmee ate the food that Esme and I prepared while the others went straight to dancing.

Everyone danced, including me, although I danced mostly with Edward as he won't let me go. I was happy to oblige; last thing I want to do is step on any of my family's foot. Renesmee danced with us, as well as Jacob.

Kate and Garrett received only one gift. It is a honeymoon package to New Zealand from everyone.

"It's spring there right now, you'll still have some cloudy days to go around," Alice told them.

"Who cares if there's sun, it's not like they are going anywhere," Emmett chuckled, giving Jasper a high five. I think they have been waiting to tell that joke since last night.

--

Instead of throwing the bouquet, Kate just handed it to Tanya, "You'll be next."

"Is that my cue to find me a man?" Tanya asked and we all laughed.

Jacob and Seth stood up in the center to catch the garter from Garrett.

When Garrett threw the garter, Edward glared at Jacob and said, "Don't you dare catch that, mutt."

Jacob got distracted and Seth grabbed the garter, "Don't worry, Edward. I got you covered." With that, we all laughed once again.

After the festivities, Jacob and Seth bid their farewell to the newlyweds and left. Renesmee was exhausted and fell asleep on my lap.

"Kate, Garrett, your clothes are upstairs, as well as your suitcases. Better change and we'll drop you off the airport," Alice told them. She really got everything all planned out.

--

In a month's time, the house turned from a wedding venue to a birthday party destination. Kate and Garrett arrived just the day before the party.

Alice set up the party to be held outside so our Quileute visitors will not feel crowded or paranoid inside our house.

We set up the grill for barbeque. Emmett had been helpful by bringing down a couple of trees as benches. We have a little camp fire going although the party started at three in the afternoon.

We arranged a schedule for our visitors so that our vampire family won't have a confrontation with our human friends. The party for the Quileute will be between three in the afternoon and seven at night; the rest of the night, the Denalis can join us since we don't need to sleep. They have time to spend with Renesmee before and a little after the party for the human. From three to seven, they agreed to head out and hunt towards Canada.

Edward and I are very thankful for the attendance that we have from the Quileute. With Charlie, Sue, Seth and Leah arrived. Jacob drove his old Rabbit with Billy, Rachel and Paul. Sam came with a pregnant Emily, Quil and Claire. Last to arrive was Embry.

Although Renesmee is just one-year-old, she looks as old as Claire, who's four, and a bit taller than her, too. Even though there are only two kids, Alice thought it was necessary to have a jumper. I was worried that Renesmee might break it, but good thing she's not strong enough to do so just yet.

We all gathered outside and the there seemed to be no tension between the vampires and the werewolves. We looked like a normal group of people, celebrating a birthday of a normal kid. The guests ate their burgers and hotdogs and some even had s'mores.

When it was getting a little dark, we all went inside. The breeze is picking up. Vampires and werewolves may not be bothered by it, but the human are starting to get chilly.

Renesmee opened her gifts and squealed in delight. Alice and Jasper gave her two Barbie dolls, while Rosalie and Emmett got her the doll house and car. She and Claire played with the Barbie dolls right away. Carlisle and Esme gave her an art set with chalkboard and white board on either side. The Quileute each gave her clothes ranging from size four to six. I guess they asked Jacob how fast she's growing. Edward and I bought a set of golden stud earrings to match the locket I gave her last Christmas. Jacob made Renesmee a new bracelet to replace the one he gave her last Christmas since she outgrew it. Edward did not grit his teeth like he did the first time.

Around seven that night, our visitors bid their farewell. Everyone left except for Embry who wanted to talk to Jacob about Alpha business. They walked towards one corner of the dining room.

"_How did you decide your second in command?" Embry asked._

"_You mean you haven't chosen yet? You've been Alpha, what, more than six months ago?" _

"_Well, that's the thing, how did you decide Leah over Seth?"_

"_It sort of fall into place. Seth joined me first but Leah really took on being second in command, but I guess it came with age, too. She went on patrol more than needed; I think it was more because she hated being around the Cullens at that time, but she has determination. Even when you and Quil joined that one time, I didn't plan to take the command from Leah. She earned it," Jacob explained. "You have to take into consideration who you can trust to take over in case, you know, something happens to you. Who's been acting as your right hand?"_

"_I sort of rotate between Jared, Paul and Quil. Jared and Paul are the oldest so I was thinking I could pick from them, but Quil's our best friend, so I don't know. I'm not even considering Collin and Brady because they're pretty young."_

"_Did you ask Sam?"_

"_I did, no help. He said he didn't really have a second in command until you came," Embry shrugged._

"_What I can tell you is this; don't take friendship over command, it has to be justified. By blood, Quil's a good pick, blood of the elders. Paul's a little hard-headed, so maybe Jared. He's been around with Sam for a while, too. So there, I narrowed it down from three to two. The final decision is up to you."_

"_Thanks, Jacob."_

_Jacob patted Embry's shoulder, "Don't know how much help I'd been but that's what friends are for."_

They got up and walked towards the living room.

"Thanks for having me everyone," Embry bid his goodbye.

He opened the door and Tanya was there. We all froze since Embry is in human form. She might have just come from a hunting trip, but Embry is in human form, he could still be appetizing.

Embry just stood there frozen. We all looked at Alice, trying to see if she had any visions.

"I'm sorry, you guys, I can't see much of anything with Renesmee here, much more with two werewolves," Alice apologized.

I looked at Embry again and gasped, "Jacob…"

"Aren't they supposed to be back later?" Jacob asked my family.

"It is already later. Embry stayed over remember?" Rosalie snapped at him.

"Jacob…" I called him again.

"Aren't you supposed to hear them coming or something?" Jacob snapped back.

"In case you didn't notice, we are busy playing with my daughter," Edward snarled at him.

"Jacob!" I finally screamed.

Finally, he looked at me, "What!"

I didn't answer him; I just kept on staring towards door. He followed my gaze and saw what locked me in position.

Jacob's mouth hung open. No words needed; we knew exactly what just happened.

Embry imprinted. On Tanya.

--

A/N: Bet you didn't see that coming!

For the wedding cake and Kate's wedding dress, check out my profile.

'An Affair to Remember' is my favorite classic movie of all time.


	11. Imprinting

A/N: Thanks to those who posted reviews. I'm glad you liked the twist. I am setting up the 1st spin-off from this story. I said 1st because I am thinking of another, but that still depends how it will play out in the later chapters.

I don't know how many chapters this story will go on. Initially, it's only a total of 20 chapters, 10 for Bella and 10 for grown up Renesmee, but with all these ideas popping in my head, I think it might go longer than 20, with at least one spin-off. I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

I finally snapped out of my daze and stepped towards the door, "Embry, this is Tanya. Tanya, this is Embry. May I suggest we all get seated in the living room?"

Embry extended his hand to Tanya, which Tanya gladly took. Instead of shaking her hand, Embry lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, "Pleased to meet you." None of them seemed to feel the extreme temperature of the other.

Tanya just looked at him with awe. Embry didn't let her hand go as he led her to the living room. He sat on the love seat and Tanya sat beside him. They both looked down on their intertwined hands and sat quietly.

"This is not good, definitely not good," Jacob mumbled as he paced around the living room.

"Why? You think your kind is all so special for our kind?" Rosalie raised her voice.

"That's not what he meant, Rose," Edward intervened.

"Jacob, I suggest that you call your elders. This needs to be discussed amongst them," Carlisle stepped in.

While Jacob was walking towards the phone, I whispered to Edward, "Where are the others?"

Edward, closed his eyes, concentrating on Tanya's mind, whispered back, "They're getting all lovey-dovey; she felt out of place."

"Oh," was all I could say.

--

Jacob picked up the phone and dialed home.

"_Hello?"_

"Rachel, it's Jacob. Is dad there?"

"_Yeah, hold on."_

"_Jacob?"_

"Dad, we need to talk to the elders right now. We have a problem."

"_Now? Define problem."_

"Embry imprinted."

"_Oh, that's great, though I don't see that as a problem. Who's the girl?"_

"Her name's Tanya; she's one of the Cullens' friends."

"_Oh, that is a problem. It's pretty late; let's meet at Old Quil's, he might not be up to meeting somewhere else."_

"Who should come?"

"_Carlisle and the girl for sure. Let him decide who to bring. But son, not all of them can come, or it might get ugly."_

"I understand. See you in a few."

--

Jacob turned to my family, "I'm sure all of you heard that with your vampire hearing and all." He turned to Carlisle, "Who's going?"

"Edward, for obvious reason, and uhm…" Carlisle replied while looking around among us.

I interrupted him, "I'm coming, too. Whatever you're going to talk about might concern my daughter in the future, being an imprint and all."

"You'll need me there, just to make sure those dogs will keep away," Emmett said.

"There will be no fighting, Emmett. I'll bet my life on it," Jacob snapped.

"You can never be too sure," Rosalie replied for Emmett.

"Enough everyone. It's better that we keep our number in a minimum. At least with that, we can peacefully discuss what needs to be discussed. When the others come back, just tell them what happened. It'll just be the four of us," Carlisle decided and nobody complained.

"We should get going. Embry and Tanya will ride with Jacob. Carlisle, Bella and I will follow," Edward said as he grabbed his keys.

I walked towards Renesmee who was busy playing with her new dolls, "Angel, mommy and daddy need to go somewhere but Aunt Rose, Aunt Alice and Gramma Esme can play with you. Is that okay?" She just nodded, kissed me on the cheek and went back to playing.

I stepped back as Jacob walk towards Renesmee to bid his goodbye, "Nessie, time for me to go home. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed the top of my daughter's head.

"She'll be fine. She'll be sleeping in no time," Alice assured us. Jacob, Edward and I nodded as we start to head out.

"Let's go," Jacob patted Embry's shoulder. He got up, still not releasing Tanya's hand.

--

The drive to La Push was quiet. None of us seem to have a need to discuss anything.

As soon as we cross the 'border,' I started to feel nervous. The last time I was here, I was still human and telling Jacob my decision to marry Edward. I can't believe it was just a little over a year ago.

We parked outside an unfamiliar house; this must be Old Quil's house. We stepped out the car and notice Paul and Jared were seated on one side of the porch. On the other side were Seth and Leah. Quil's standing by the door, not wanting to pick sides. The younger members were not around. They might have been instructed to stay out of this business. They get pretty aggressive around vampires.

"Is everyone here?" Jacob asked Quil.

"We're just waiting for Sam. He's on his way," Quil answered as he opened the door. Paul and Jared glared at us; Seth and Leah glared at them in return.

"Easy, you guys," Jacob said as we enter the house.

Sam came just as we were entering the house.

--

Old Quil is seated on the sofa. Beside him is Billy's wheelchair. On the other side is Sue. With room for one more, Sam sat beside Sue.

Embry and Tanya sat across them. Embry did not let go of her hand until they were seated in front of the elders. They both put their hands on their laps. Tanya's head was down, while Embry exchanged looks with the elders. Edward and Carlisle sat together; I'm sure Carlisle want to keep him close. I sat beside Jacob across Edward.

"Who wants to start?" Billy asked.

"No offense, Dr. Cullen," Sam started then he turned to Billy, Sue and Old Quil, "but I don't understand why the Cullens have to be here. This is tribe business."

"I know your part of the elders now Sam, part of the 'decision' making, but remember Tanya is our kind; she's family. What concerns her, concerns us," Edward answered in unfriendly tone.

"This is not the time for arguments," Sue interjected.

"They've seen each other before, when we were in the clearing with the Volturi. Doesn't imprinting work on first sight?" Jacob asked.

"I was just about to ask the same thing," I second his inquiry.

Old Quil cleared his throat before he spoke, "Was Embry ever in human form during that time?"

"No, he'd always been in wolf form," Jacob answered.

"Do you think that has something to do with it?" Billy asked Old Quil.

All of us were looking at Old Quil, who was nodding, waiting for an answer. He looks deep in thought then he cleared his throat again and began to speak.

"When in wolf form, the brothers and, in the case now, sister, are all connected. One mind, one decision. What one of them sees, everyone sees. They can read each other's minds and their connection is strong no matter how far one is from the others. This binds the brotherhood together.

"When in human form, one's mind is his own. None of our kind imprinted when they were in wolf form. Imagine if one imprints as a wolf, is it truly his mind or is it one of the others? It had always been in human form as his decision is his own; he is free from the connection from his pack. This could have been the reason why Embry did not imprint on this young lady when he first saw her.

"You must understand, at the time, most of our history was based on what they have experienced in the past. For example, there was never a female werewolf until Leah. Now, we don't know if any will follow her transformation. Same thing with imprinting, it had always been in our tribe. We've never encountered anything like this, imprinting beyond our tribe, our kind, until Jacob. It could have been because this is the only time that our kind befriends yours. We don't know if the next generation of our kind will imprint on your kind or outside our tribe in the future."

"But I thought that imprinting is for the wolf bloodline to continue. Tanya's a vampire and…," Jacob asked.

"That's what I thought, too," Leah interrupted as she stepped inside the house and stood by the door. "I thought I was not imprinted on because my body is of a shape-shifter, not good for bearing children."

"Please, Leah, this has nothing to do with you," Edward looked at her. I could tell that Leah had been listening in our conversation, maybe looking for an explanation for what she believes to be Sam's betrayal.

"Leah, this discussion is between the elders and the Cullens. Let's leave it at that. We would appreciate it that you don't eavesdrop and interrupt," Sam glared at him.

"Don't let guilt eat you up, Sam," Leah's voice was angry. She turned to leave and slammed the door behind her.

We all fell silent and nobody seemed to know what to say. Tanya put her face on her hands. She was sobbing without tears. Embry hesitated at first, but decided not to care about what the others would think; he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Embry. Embry held on her tighter as he rubbed her shoulder.

We stayed like that for a minute, until Carlisle found his voice to break the silence, "Tanya can't bear a child; her body is not capable of doing so. We are not sure about Renesmee either."

He looked at me and Edward; seems like apologizing before he continued. "If bearing children is the reason for imprinting, it doesn't make sense."

Once again, we waited for Old Quil's explanation, but this time, it was Billy who spoke.

"We've all thought that that was the reason for imprinting. Most definitely, it was important for Jacob, Sam and Quil as our tribe leaders' blood flows through them; Black, Uley and Ateara. It is crucial for our tribe's protection to preserve that bloodline. As for the others, it may not be the case. What if imprinting is done not only for extension of bloodline; what if it also entails companionship?

"Jacob has both Black and Ateara in his blood; it is inevitable for him to pass the genes, so maybe Nessie will bear children, we don't now. Embry is part Makah, not pure Quileute. What if the wolf blood stops with him? It could be that unlike the descendents of the tribe leaders, he has nothing to pass on. Maybe he imprinted on an immortal because he is last of his line and meant to be around forever. Maybe he is to remain a protector of this tribe, not his descendants.

"Werewolves have a choice to stop phasing, like what Sam has decided on. They may plan to settle down and grow old with their imprints. What if Embry and Jacob are meant to stay for a longer period? For all we know, Embry and Jacob might have ended up being the Alpha of their own packs for that reason. Both Alpha, imprinting on immortals."

Sam opened his mouth then closed it. He meant to ask something but I guess he can't put it into words.

Edward looked at him and spoke, "Do you think the same goes for Leah? I mean, do you think she'll imprint for companionship?"

I can see the surprise in Sue's face. I was surprised with what Edward asked as well. It might have been the question on Sam's mind.

"Leah is a unique member of the pack. There was never a female werewolf in our tribe's history. All we can do is to wait for anything to happen," Old Quil answered, but instead of looking at Edward as he answered since it was Edward who asked the question, he directed his response to Sam.

"Where does this leave us?" Embry asked; the first time he'd spoken since we got here.

"Tanya can stay in our house. You're always welcome to visit her there. I'm not sure the same goes for her here," Carlisle answered his inquiry.

Embry looked at the elders, "How do you think they'll take this?"

"I'll explain it to them. If they have a problem with it, we can call a meeting." Sam got up and walked towards him and extended his hand, "Congratulations."

Embry took his hand, "Thanks, Sam." I'm sure he's thanking him for two reasons.

"We should head back. The others might get worried," Carlisle stood up and shook the hands of everyone. Edward and I followed.

"I think it's better that I go with you," Embry stood up, arms still around Tanya who stood up with him.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Sam asked, looking at the three elders.

"He'll be a part of their family now, Sam. Let him talk to them," Billy said as he nodded to Sam.

"I don't think it'll be a peaceful talk if Embry is there when you talk to his pack. Better talk to them soon. They'll hate to hear it from hearsay," Sue suggested.

Sam nodded as he leads us to the door.

When we opened the door, Paul was not there anymore. As if reading our minds, Jared simply said, "Couldn't take it anymore. He got pissed; he phased."

Leah walked towards Sam and extended her hand, "Sorry for interfering earlier. I won't say I'm sorry for eavesdropping. Now, I understand. No more hard feelings."

Sam shook her hand. I saw sincerity in both of their faces and the relief in the faces of others. Finally, after a long time, Leah finally let go of the anger.

She turned to us, "Can we come with you?"

Carlisle nodded. Seth walked with us while Leah went with Jacob, Embry and Tanya to the other car.

After waving to the others, we drove away.

--

A/N: I hope you like the 'imprinting' explanation I came up with. I had to justify why Embry imprinted on Tanya and I thought this is the best explanation.

I've always wanted for Leah to let go of anger so I inserted it here too.


	12. Eavesdropping

A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews. Special thanks to Zombie's Run This Town for your frequent reviews.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

"Just when I thought I got this whole werewolf thing figured out, they come up with other stuff," Seth said as soon as we drove off.

"You have a very interesting story," Edward said.

"More like mind-boggling! It's not like being a vampire; either you drink from human or you drink from animals." I cringed at this statement but Seth didn't notice. "For us, is your imprint human, half-breed, vampire, or before you know it, it could be something else. Do you have the bloodline flowing in you? So complicated!"

"You should take notes or make a journal; then you can pass it on to the next generations," Carlisle suggested and the four of us laughed.

--

When we arrived at the house, the atmosphere was tense. Except for Renesmee, who's probably sleeping already, and Esme, who's probably watching her, everyone was waiting for us outside. As soon we parked the car and headed to the door, everyone glared at Embry whose arms were still around Tanya.

"Why don't we all go inside and talk?" Carlisle waved everyone to get inside the house.

Esme went down the stairs as soon as we closed the front door, "How did it go?"

No on answered. We settled in the living room, some standing, some seated.

"We've told the tribe what happened. They seemed to be fine with it, imprinting is involuntary after all," Jacob stated.

"The others still need to talk to Embry's pack. They will surely not like what had happened, Tanya being vampire and all," Carlisle spoke this time. "For the mean time, Tanya can stay here until this is all settled." He looked at the Denalis, "You are welcome to extend your stay, of course."

"I don't think that's a good idea." We all looked at Embry as his words exited his lips. "It's one thing that I imprinted on our sworn enemy; it's another that she brought extra four with her." He looked at Tanya's family, "I'm sorry. I don't have a problem with any of you; I can't say the same goes for the others."

"But this is absurd, we can't leave without her, she's family!" Kate exclaimed.

"Kate…" Garrett held on her shoulders.

"Garrett, you don't understand, she's my sister; we've been together forever. Either she goes home with us or we all stay. Our lives shouldn't be dictated by some dogs' nonsense!" Jacob, Leah and Seth glared at her.

"Kate, I'm afraid that the young man is right, we can't all stay here. As they told us earlier, the treaty of the tribe is with the Cullens, not with others," Eleazar tried to calm Kate down.

"What if we split for now?" Rosalie suggested.

"What do you mean?" Carmen asked.

"We are scheduled to fly back to Hanover in a couple of days, but Emmett and I could stay behind to be with Tanya, so you could go back to your home." Rosalie explained.

"What if we don't go back there anymore? We can transfer to the State University here," I asked.

"Bella's right; we can stay here while this is all settled," Esme agreed.

"No, I can't let you separate yourselves from your family or put your lives on hold for my sake," Tanya's voice was shaking.

"Tanya's right. Garrett and I will stay here while you go back to Hanover. Eleazar and Carmen can go back to Alaska. Do you think that's fine, dog?" Kate asked Embry.

"Please don't call him that," Tanya requested.

"Shhh, it's okay." Embry rubbed Tanya's back, then he turned his head to Kate, "I think it should be okay as long as you will keep the Cullens' side of the treaty and stay away from the 'border'."

"We told Embry that he's welcome in this home if he wants to visit Tanya," Carlisle informed the Denalis.

"Understood," Garrett answered.

"Then, it's settled. Carmen and I will leave for Alaska on the day after tomorrow while you go back to Hanover," Eleazar said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Jacob got up and motioned his pack to follow, "We should head back to La Push. It's getting late." He looked at Embry.

"I'll run home," Embry said and the pack left.

Carlisle signaled us to leave Embry and Tanya to talk. They didn't get a chance to talk at all with everything that happened in just a few hours.

"We should start packing our things," Esme suggested and we all got up. But instead of going to their rooms, they all went to Carlisle's office, probably to discuss more of what just happened. Edward and I headed to our room since Renesmee was sleeping.

--

Even though our door was closed, I could still faintly hear the conversation downstairs. I leaned by the door a little closer.

"Are you eavesdropping, love?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shhh!" I shushed him as I put my ear on the door.

--

"_Under the circumstances, I want you to know that I am not sorry that I imprinted on you." _

"_Me neither. But I don't understand. We don't even know each other; we just met a few hours ago. Why does it feel like we are two pieces of a puzzle that fits?"_

"_I don't have an answer for you. All I know is that since I imprinted on you, you are meant to be my soul mate. I hope you're not disappointed that you waited for decades just to be with a dog."_

"_You're quite adorable for a dog, so it's okay."_

"_Adorable? Now, I really do sound like a pup. Well, I know all men who've seen you told you this already, but I want so say it anyway, you are beautiful."_

"_You're sweet, Embry."_

"_Thanks, just one of my best qualities. I hate to leave, but I should get going. I'll bet my tail that they can't wait to jump and beat the crap out of me."_

"_Do you think Jacob will help just in case it comes down to that?"_

"_I'm just kidding, Tanya. I might get snarled at but nobody's going to take me down."_

I heard them walk towards the door. There was silence or maybe they were whispering; I can't hear anything anymore. I heard the door close as Embry left. I quickly headed downstairs before Edward could say anything.

--

I saw the worry in Tanya's eyes, "Are you okay?"

Tanya plopped herself on the sofa, "I'd be lying if I say yes. I'm worried for him. It's just him against the others. What if they attack him or something?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," I sat down beside her and patted her hands.

"What about that Paul guy? What if he comes back and beat him up?"

"Remember when Old Quil said that when they are on wolf form, their minds are connected?" Tanya nodded. "Well, La Push is pretty far from here. He's going to phase and run home in wolf form. So, if anyone's planning on attacking him from his pack, he would know. No one would dare attack him in human form; they won't be strong enough. Besides, there's Jacob's pack to consider, they wouldn't dare. Jacob happens to be the strongest of them all." This seemed to ease her up a bit.

Tanya looked at the stairs towards Carlisle's office, "I wonder what they're talking about. I'm sure they're whispering; I can't hear anything."

"Do you want me to ask Edward?"

"No, I think its better I'm left in the dark. I just hope Kate is not sentencing Embry," Tanya joked half-heartedly.

She inhaled and turned to me, "How did you react when you found out Jacob imprinted on Renesmee?"

I heard a roaring laughter from upstairs. Looks like everyone decided to get out of their hiding place and just in time for them to hear Tanya's question. Emmett was cracking up with laughter.

"What did I say?" Tanya puzzled.

"Bella attacked Jacob when she found out. Lucky for him, Seth jumped in between; he's the one who got hurt," Jasper explained while laughing with Emmett.

"You did what?" Tanya shrieked.

"She was only a day old when he imprinted on her. I was shocked and furious. I was out for three days then I woke up to find him blocking me from my own daughter. She just came out of me and someone's already planning to take her away. I was surprised that Edward didn't tie him and lock him up in a dog pound when he found out."

"Don't be so sure, love. When Renesmee grows up to be the beautiful woman I know she would be I might just act on that idea."

Everyone laughed and the tension was gone.

Kate sat beside her sister and gave her a hug, "I'm so happy for you!"

"I thought you're mad at me?" Tanya was confused.

"Me, mad? Of course not! You have no idea how happy I am that you found your soul mate. I just don't want to say it in front of Ember."

"Embry. He's name is Embry, not Ember." Tanya corrected her.

"Doesn't matter. Just be happy I'll stop calling him dog."

"So, if you're not mad at me, what we're you talking about upstairs?"

"Carlisle gave us the rundown on what was discussed with the tribe," Alice chimed.

"Your case is unprecedented; it's quite interesting," Eleazar was truly amused.

"That bouquet toss really worked," Rosalie giggled.

"She didn't toss it, she handed it to me, remember?" Tanya rolled her eyes but smiled.

"So, did he kiss you when he left?" Kate asked.

"Kate!" Tanya was embarrassed.

"Oh, c'mon, Tanya. We're all family here, no secrets. And don't give me that 'don't kiss and tell' crap 'cause I know you do," Kate joked.

If she could blush, Tanya would have, "It's not like that with us. We just met for crying out loud."

"Didn't stop you before," Rosalie joked. Alice and Kate giggled with her. It might be an inside joke.

Tanya rolled her eyes, "Oh, shut it! He held my hand, being a total gentleman. He just kissed my hand and touched my face before he left."

I put my shield down and thought, _"Touching the face then left. Sounds familiar to me."_ Edward winked at me and smiled.

"Is he coming tomorrow?" Esme asked.

"I don't know. Maybe," Tanya answered.

"Don't you mean you hope so?" Garrett laughed. Emmett and Jasper joined him.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Guys are so immature. Sorry, Tanya, I can't see werewolves so I can't tell you if he's coming over."

"I'm sure he will. Did you see how he was looking at you earlier? The boy's head over heels," Carmen said as she walked behind Tanya and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here guys, this is going to get mushy," Jasper suggested.

"How about a wrestling match, Emmett?" Garrett suggested.

Emmett face lit up like a child in Christmas morning. They headed out the door in a flash.

--

The next day came and as expected, Embry was with Jacob, Seth and Leah when they came over. Like routine, Leah helped Esme in whatever she was doing, still not comfortable mingling with the rest of us. Seth joined the guys by the TV to play video games. Jacob joined us while we play with Renesmee.

At first Embry joined us. I looked at him from time to time, always catching him glancing at Tanya. Tanya, conscious of his glances, kept her head down.

Not long after, Embry stood up and went to Tanya's side and extended his hand, "Walk with me?" Tanya took his hand and got up. Without any of them looking back, they started walking towards the back door.

"What? Where are you guys going?" Kate exclaimed but the two did not look back nor answered.

"Relax, Kate. Embry just wanted some time alone with Tanya," Edward answered.

"Is she going to be safe with him?" Kate asked.

"He's in more danger than she is; she could attack him even before he has a chance to phase. No way he could fight her," Jacob simply answered as he open up the door of the doll house.

--

Embry and Tanya did not come home until it was getting dark. As soon as they got home, Embry went straight to the kitchen to eat. He probably didn't notice his hunger until he smelled the food that Esme cooked.

After eating dinner, Jacob got up. "We should get going and finish packing. We have an early day tomorrow."

With that, his pack said goodnight to everyone.

"I'll join you in a minute," Embry said. Jacob shrugged and headed out behind his pack.

Embry stood by the door, holding Tanya's hand then they went out the porch, closing the door behind them. Kate, Rosalie, Alice, Esme, Carmen and I quietly set ourselves by the door to peek and listen in.

"Eavesdropping is not nice, ladies," Carlisle said, but we all ignored him.

"_Are you coming by tomorrow?"_

"_I'll be here everyday until you shoo me away."_

_Tanya smiled and looked down. _

_Embry lifted his arm to tilt Tanya's face up, "Don't hide your beautiful face. With that, I have something to dream about tonight."_

_Tanya smiled once more, "Good night, Embry."_

"_Good night, Tanya. See you in my dreams." He held Tanya's face with both of his hands and kissed her on the forehead before heading to the forest._

We were still standing by the door when Tanya went in, "I can't believe you were listening."

Kate hugged her sister, "He is so sweet!" Tanya just nodded and smiled.

--

A/N: This will be the last Tanya/Embry drama in this story. Just setting up the spin-off; as soon as I start writing that, I will post it as A/N.


	13. Frustration

A/N: I know I used to update after a day or two, but I was stuck for days. I still have not finish drafting Chapter 14. I decided to start working on the spin-off and I had better luck on that one so I'm posting this chapter although Chapter 14 is not yet ready.

Also, check out my other story - _**Embry's Imprint.**_

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

With our speed and not needing to sleep, we finished packing in no time. Although Eleazar and Carmen wanted to bid their goodbye to Renesmee in person, they had to settle kissing her in her sleep. They left a little after midnight, not wanting to attract any human attention along the way home.

"We will call as soon as we get home," Carmen said as she hugged Kate and Tanya.

"Be careful," Kate and Tanya told the couple.

"Don't you worry about us. If you need our help on anything, give us a call right away and we'll be here," Eleazar took his turn in hugging the sisters and patted Garrett's back.

"I already said before, you are free to visit us in Hanover any time," Carlisle shook Eleazar's hand.

"We'll see, Carlisle. We'll keep it in mind, as always." Eleazar and Carmen left.

--

I enjoyed being back in Forks. Seeing familiar places and faces. I felt sad that our short vacation was coming to an end.

"I can't believe vacation's over," I exhaled.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Edward said.

"Alice, do you really have to go back to Brazil?" Esme asked with concern in her voice.

"We'll be fine, Esme. It was harder the first time, but now we know what to expect. I wonder if Joham already left," Jasper said.

"Well, let's see." Alice closed her eyes and after a few seconds, she said, "Joham and the daughters were heading south. They left Nahuel and Hulien weeks ago."

"Wait a minute," I was lost in thought.

"What is it, love?" Edward asked.

"Alice, you saw Joham in your vision?" I asked my sister-in-law.

"Yeah, so?" Alice confused.

"Alice, you've done it!" I exclaimed.

"Done what?" Rosalie and Emmett asked as the same time as Jasper and Alice stared at me.

"Didn't Nahuel say his sisters were half-breed like him?" I looked at them, hoping that someone figured out where I am headed at.

Carlisle gasped, "Of course, Bella's right."

"Will you stop please talking in codes and tell us what's going on?" Rosalie was getting impatient.

Edward explained, "Alice, you saw them. You saw Joham."

"I think we've established that since they got back," Emmett exhaled.

"That's the whole point, Emmett. Alice saw Joham and his half-breed daughters. She's done it. She can see half-breeds! She can probably see Renesmee!" Edward explained further.

"Oh my, you're right! We were in so much panic that I didn't even stop and think about it," Alice jumped up.

"You don't have to leave! We can all fly together to Hanover!" I exclaimed as I hugged her.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but we still do." We all looked at Jasper when he said this.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked. All the excitement escaped her.

"Yes, you saw Joham and his daughters. It's true that you've tapped into their future; you saw him even when he was with half-breeds. But how come you can't see Nahuel when he's just by your side at that time?" Jasper pointed out.

We all looked at each other. We were all dumb-struck by Jasper's question.

"Can I say something?" Garrett asked.

We all looked at him. "What if she saw them because their decision was already concrete for a while? It's not wavering; it's determined, not something they decided like ten minutes prior."

"He has a point," Jasper pointed out.

"Yes, he has. That means we still have to leave until I pinpoint whatever I can tap into," Alice frowned.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure you can try it on Renesmee," Rosalie suggested.

"I'm afraid not, Rose. Renesmee might be growing fast, but she's still a child. Her decisions are not as précised as an adult's. Alice needs exact decisions. Renesmee could be easily distracted," Edward's voice fell as he explained the reason why their sister still needed to leave.

"It's not the same without you two," Esme placed her arms around her two children.

"I know, Esme, but promise, we will head back as soon as I manage my visions or when Renesmee's mature enough to decide on things, whichever comes first," Alice wrapped her arms around Esme.

We started to hug each other and Kate sighed, "I never knew this family can be so dramatic."

"Shut up and join us," Tanya told her and Kate joined our little group.

--

Instead of Charlie dropping us off to the airport like last time, Kate, Garrett and Tanya volunteered to do the task. I bid my farewell to my dad in person on Renesmee's birthday. I will call him later when we get to Hanover.

Around six in the morning, the pack arrived with Embry. They drove Jacob's Rabbit.

"Morning," Jacob greeted us, still half asleep. Seth and Leah went straight to the sofa and closed their eyes, trying to nap for a couple of minutes.

Embry entered the house, fully awake and smiling, "Good Morning." He must have had a good dream last night with that smile lingering on his face.

"Embry, do you mind driving by yourself or waiting here by yourself? We've asked Kate, Tanya and Garrett to drop us to the airport. I'm afraid that we're all packed," Esme asked with concern.

"Don't worry about it, Esme. I'll just wait here," Embry answered politely.

"Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett – you're riding with Garrett in Rose's car," Carlisle started assigning our traveling arrangement.

"Jacob, Edward, Bella and Renesmee will ride with Tanya in the Volvo. Esme, Leah, Seth and I will be riding with Kate in the Mercedes."

"Are you going to be okay by yourself for a couple of hours?" Jacob asked Embry sleepily.

"Don't worry about me. Be safe and I'll talk to you later," Embry shook Jacob's hand.

We loaded the three cars. Leah, Seth and Jacob went to the cars groggy. Renesmee was still sleeping when I carried her. In less than a minute, we were ready to go.

--

Our trip was a lot shorter than the first time since we have vampires as drivers, unlike when it was Charlie. We unloaded the cars and bid our farewell to our extended family before heading to the check-in desk.

Alice and Jasper checked in for their flight and met us halfway. They were in a different gate as their plane is headed straight to New York, while ours is headed to New Hampshire.

A few days before we left Forks, Jasper paid a visit to J. Jenks to get a new ID for Renesmee as she now looks like four. We prepared IDs from age four to ten this time just in case she outgrows her other ID. I suggested that he take Alice with him so that J. Jenks and Alice could get acquainted, remembering how he first thought I was Jasper's wife.

--

Alice and Jasper's flight was earlier than ours. We only had a few minutes to say our goodbyes before they have to board their flight.

"You really don't have to do this," I tried to convince Alice not to go.

"We've been through this Bella. I got this. I'm sure it's not going to be as hard as before. We'll be joining you guys in Hanover in no time."

With our last hugs and goodbyes, Alice and Jasper proceeded to their gate. We walked towards our gate and waited for our flight to load.

This time, I remembered to bring a book to help me ignore the people ogling at my family. As soon as we settled by our gate, I opened my battered copy of Pride and Prejudice. Leah, Seth and Jacob all slept in the waiting area. Rosalie and Emmett walked around, displaying their beauty while Esme and Carlisle took turn in playing with Renesmee. Edward watched me read my book.

Our flight was smooth and did not have any turbulence. In no time, we arrived in our homes. The pack proceeded to their house; they just want to get back to sleep. I called Charlie to let him know that we arrived safely in Hanover. Alice left a message in our answering machine at home to let us know they have arrived in New York and headed to their connecting flight to Brazil.

--

We got back to our routine the week after. Carlisle and Leah went back to work. Seth and Jacob attended adult school. Rosalie, Emmett and Esme stayed at home with Renesmee while Edward and I went back to Dartmouth.

Like last quarter, we have the four classes together. We have almost all the same classes that we have last time with the same professors, except for Psychology. This quarter, we have Philosophy with Dr. Gregg. The others were the second level classes; Calculus II, English II and Spanish II.

I was more at ease going back to school. Knowing what to expect and being exposed more to human helped me deal with my thirst. We went hunting every week to help me go through each day without any problem.

Seth and Jacob spent most of their free time in our house. Rosalie continued to help Seth a little bit with his schoolwork, while Jacob mastered the art of video games, thanks to Emmett. Leah came over more often; she sometimes went with me and Rosalie to the mall sometimes to buy clothes. It was getting colder due to fall season so we want to buy clothes that will at least look like what normal people will wear during this time of the year, although it's just a façade. None of us were bothered by the temperature, hot or cold.

--

Alice continued her weekly update and I continued sending pictures of Renesmee to her and to Charlie. So far, there's no improvement on Alice's visions. Zafrina was patient with her, but Alice was getting frustrated with herself. Nahuel had been a big help, but Alice felt that she's not doing a good enough job.

After a month, it was Jasper who called. He said that Alice had been frustrated the last few days and didn't have the energy to call. Carlisle put us in speaker phone.

"What's going on with Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"_She's pushing herself so much. She said that since she saw Nahuel's sisters, it shouldn't be hard to focus on Nahuel, but she still can't see him."_

"I wish we didn't say anything," I said, worried.

"_Don't blame yourselves. Alice was just having a hard time. I told her we've only been back for a month. It was three months last time before she saw Joham, but she won't hear any of it. I think she wants to go home already that's why she's pushing so hard."_

"Poor Alice," Esme said.

"Do you think it would help if we visit you?" Rosalie asked.

"_I don't know. I've never seen her frustrated before. I think it's best to let her vent first though, I don't want her explode with anger when she starts seeing you going here; she'll see it as pity. She'd hate that."_

"Where is she now?" Edward inquired.

"_She's with Kachiri; they went up the mountains. She wanted to stay away from me, Zafrina and Hulien for a while until she sorted herself."_

"Do you think she's going to be fine?" Carlisle asked with much concern for his daughter.

"_She's been at it for days and it finally caught up with her. Zafrina told her that she needed to take a break then she snapped. She just needed to relax. After she calms down, she'll be fine. Don't worry, if she goes overboard, I will drag her back to the airport and we'll fly there."_

"Call us right away when she comes back. I want to make sure she's okay," Esme instructed her son.

"_I will. I should go; I still have to hunt before I go back to the others."_

"Take care," we all chimed then the line died.


	14. Incomplete

A/N: I haven't started Chapter 15 yet but since there's not much going on in this chapter or the last, I thought might as well post this. I already outlined the plot for Chapter 15 so I hope it will be easier to write.

Have you checked out my other story, _**Embry's Imprint**_, yet? I just updated it again today. I really enjoyed writing the last part of Chapter 3 from that story so I hope that after you read this, you could read the other story as well.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

A couple of weeks after the alarming call from Jasper, Alice called us and said that they were doing fine. No one dared ask her how the training was going since we don't want to push her over the edge again. Alice seemed to know that we were aching to ask her, she told us what's going on.

"_Sorry about the last two weeks when I didn't even talk to any of you. It had been difficult for me. I expected too much from myself and was stubborn to accept a set back."_

"No need to apologize, Alice," Esme assured her.

"_I shouldn't have Jasper made that call by himself. I gave you something to worry about."_

"All is well now, Alice, don't give yourself anything to concern yourself about," Carlisle said.

"If you felt so bad for Jasper, you know how to make up for it," Emmett chuckled.

Rosalie smacked his head then said, "Don't mind him, Alice."

I heard Alice giggle on the phone then Jasper was on.

"_Everything was made up for." Jasper chuckled, "Ow!"_

I think Jasper received his share of smacking on the head.

"Since it seemed like everything is back to normal, if you don't mind me asking, how was the training?" Edward asked.

Alice took the phone back from Jasper.

"_Well, there's an improvement but still far from precise. We had Nahuel decide on something then act on it after ten minutes, but the timing is still off. He's already doing it before I figured out what he planned to do. It was a little frustrating,"_

We all looked at each other when she said 'frustrating' but relaxed when she continued.

"…_but it's an improvement. Zafrina said that in a couple more weeks or months, I should be able to pinpoint Nahuel in my visions. I am not expecting anything. I'm just happy for the little improvement. She said I might be having a hard time only because I am tapping on both of his halves, the human part and the vampire part when I'm so used to tapping in whole."_

"That's good to hear. We miss you, Alice." There was maternal sadness in Esme's voice.

"_We miss you guys, too. As soon as the training is over, we'll fly back, no delays and no silly surprise either."_

"That's good to hear," Rosalie said with a smile on her face.

I leaned closer to the phone, "Alice, there's someone here who would like to talk to you."

I carried Renesmee closer to the phone, "Say hi to Aunt Alice."

"Hi, Aunt Alice."

"_Oh, hi Renesmee." We heard her call Jasper before she continued, "are you being a good girl?"_

"Yes. Aunt Rose and Gramma Esme teach me how to read."

"_Really? That's good," Alice sniffed. "Have you read a lot of books?"_

"Lots. Mommy and I read before I go to sleep. I like Sleeping Beauty."

"_Oh, aren't you a bright little girl," Alice sobbed._

"_Guys, uhm, we have to go." Jasper said and hung up._

"Hello? Uncle Jasper?" Renesmee asked on the dead line.

"Nobody's there anymore, angel," I told her.

"But they didn't say bye yet," Renesmee said.

We all looked at each other with sadness in our eyes.

Esme walked towards us and took Renesmee, "I think it's time for you to sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight," she blew flying kisses to everyone before she turned to follow Esme to her room.

When they were out of sight, I slumped on the sofa, "I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have done that."

Edward sat beside me, Rosalie on the other side. "Bella, it's not your fault. She just missed her, that's all," Edward tried to make me feel better.

"Sorry I made the call short. She would still be on the line if I didn't let Renesmee talk to them."

"I'm sure Alice appreciated what you did, hearing her voice after such a long time. She was just overwhelmed with sadness," Carlisle patted me on the shoulder.

"I hope they come home soon," I exhaled.

"Me, too, Bella. Me, too." Rosalie leaned her head on my shoulder.

--

Our days were routine; students went to school, employees reported to work. Time flew and days passed quickly. December came and holidays were just around the corner.

Initially, we planned to fly back to Forks for the winter break; however, both Carlisle and Leah were not allowed to take time off from work. We asked Charlie, Sue, Billy and Rachel if they could fly to the east coast instead. Charlie worked out his schedule with the precinct and agreed to fly over with the others. I heard that Paul wasn't happy about the trip, but when invited, he turned it down.

"Do you think Renee would be able to join us? That is if it's not going to be awkward," Esme asked after we settled the plans for the upcoming holidays.

"My parents are civil towards each other so I'm sure it will be fine. I've told Renee about Sue and Charlie in one of my emails." I answered to quickly then I realized something, "I take that back. I'm afraid we can't invite them."

"Why is that, love?" Edward asked.

"Renesmee," is all I have to say and they knew exactly why.

My mom has no idea that she's a grandmother already; she will never know. We can't expose our kind to humans any more than our exposure to Charlie. It is dangerous enough for him to know our secret, much more if my mom knew.

"While Renee's here, we can take Renesmee out of town with us for a while. Maybe up to Canada," Rosalie suggested.

"It still depends. Charlie will surely want to see Renesmee, but if Renee's going to be here at the same time that Charlie's here, it could be a bit complicated," Edward explained.

"Well, then, just tell them that we're out of the country or something. We'll stay in the other house. Charlie can come and visit her there," Rosalie recommended.

"That might work. We just have to tell the others about it. Leah may not like it, though, but it's worth to try. I'll talk to Jacob about it later," I said.

--

We extended our invitation to the Denalis as well. We called them and were surprised to find out that the rest of the family was back in Alaska.

"Why are you guys there? Is everything okay in Forks?" Rosalie asked.

"_Everything's fine. Don't worry about us. I think Tanya is still adjusting with the whole imprinting. She said she missed Alaska so we went back," Kate answered. _

I could hear the weariness in her voice, but didn't dwell on it.

"How long have you been back?" Edward asked.

"_We just came back last week. I'll give the phone to Eleazar. Tanya's waiting for us."_

We looked at each other. It sounded like Kate was in too much of a hurry. We heard Eleazar took the phone.

"How is Tanya? How are things between her and Embry?" Esme asked.

"_Embry and Tanya are still trying to work things out. She's not here though; she's hunting; Kate and Garrett were heading out to meet up with her when you guys called. About your invitation, sorry that we can't fly over to be with you for the holidays. We want to spend time together. Things might be different next year, you know." Eleazar chuckled half-heartedly._

"We understand, Eleazar. As always, let us know if you can come and visit," Carlisle said and we said our goodbyes.

--

I talked to Jacob about our setup for the holidays. He agreed that Renesmee should just stay with them while Renee and Phil are in town. He said that as long as Leah is not bothered by any of this, meaning she won't have to deal with any of us, just our presence in the house, she wouldn't have any problem. She would mind if we ask personal favors like watching over Renesmee while we diddle-daddle with our guests.

--

Not long after our call to the Denalis and my conversation with Jacob, the holidays came. Everyone we invited for the holidays came, except for our extended family, and we celebrated Christmas together.

Renee and Phil stayed in Rosalie and Emmett's room. Charlie and Sue stayed in Alice and Jasper's room. Billy and Rachel stayed with the pack. Rachel slept with Leah and Billy took Jacob's bed. Jacob slept in the living room where Renesmee's little bed was also located. Rosalie and Emmett watched over her. Edward and I snuck out of the house whenever we can to be with Renesmee.

This was our second Christmas together with our daughter, although the first was something I would rather not look back, too. I did not enjoy that moment, with the fleeting feeling that I might lose my loved ones.

This year was better; no impending danger lingering around the corner. We were at ease, happy to be with our families. We decided not to exchange any gifts this year. Being together with no worries was the best gift we could ever receive.

We're relieved that my mom and Phil had previous engagement for New Year's and can't stay longer. I would miss my mom, but my pull to my daughter was stronger. As soon as they left, Renesmee was back in our house and Charlie got to spend the remaining days of their vacation with her. This also gave Rosalie and Emmett a chance to spend quality time together. Rosalie had been more of a mother to Renesmee that I was and it was great to fulfill that shoe again.

--

Alice and Jasper continued their weekly calls. They apologized for missing another holiday season with us. The year before, they were in a place we didn't know where and we didn't know how they were doing. Although this year, we know where they were and how they were doing, it's still not the same as being with them.

Alice's vision was getting better. Nahuel's image is clearer, although there is still some delay. Alice refused to come home. She kept on insisting that her vision has to be precise or it'll be useless.

--

After winter break from school, another quarter started. I assured Edward that I will be fine to be myself in my classes and we decided to start taking classes for our own majors. I started taking Literature classes and he started taking more Science classes. We only have one class together, US History.

The first week of Winter Quarter went without a hitch, however, it went differently the second week. I was walking towards the car to meet with Edward when I saw a blonde girl flirting with him. Didn't she see he's wearing a wedding ring?

I didn't know how to handle the situation. Should I barge in and set her right or just pass them and go straight to the car? Edward saw me and his face lit up.

"Bella, love, I've been waiting for you!"

The girl turned and raised her eyebrow, giving me once-over look from head to toe. She's no Rosalie but really pretty, model-type. But the blonde hair won't work on Edward, too bad for her. She's fighting a lost cause.

I walked towards Edward and he instantly wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me on the lips.

"Who's your friend?" I asked, placing my hand on his chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Diana, this is my wife, Bella. Bella, this is Diana, she's my Biology lab partner."

I extended my hand, "Nice to meet you, Diana."

She glared at me before taking my hand. She didn't say anything; she just nodded. I saw her reaction changed when she felt my cold hands.

"I'll see you in class, Edward. Good night," she turned around and left.

Edward and I walked towards the car, laughing.

"That serves her right, didn't she see your ring?" I asked Edward as he opened the passenger door for me.

"She's sitting to my left in the lab and my hand was on the table. The band is hard to miss," Edward chuckled.

"Too bad she's blonde. Last time I checked you preferred brunettes," I giggled.

Edward laughed and we drove home.

--

Months passed and Winter Quarter was over. I did not hear anything about Diana or any other girl for that matter. As for me, the rings on my left hand were so obvious that no one dared ask me out although I noticed that some guys look at me longer than necessary. It was unsettling but nothing that I couldn't shake off.

In Spring Quarter, Edward and I no longer have any class together. He continued in pursuing his Neuroscience degree while I pursue my English Literature. Our classes were in the opposite sides of the campus and we only saw each other before and after the classes. It was unsettling at first but I got myself too caught up with my studies that it stopped bothering me after two weeks in the quarter. Edward, on the other hand, always rushed to my classrooms in human pace. Thoughts of the guys around school must be getting on his nerve.

Days passed quickly as everyone had been busy with daily activities. Spring Quarter passed, but still no Alice and Jasper.

Summer was just around the corner and we were all looking forward to going back home. Carlisle and Leah worked out a schedule with work, allowing them to take two months vacation for summer and none for the rest of the year. We scheduled to leave in mid-July.

When Alice and Jasper called for their update, we asked them when they were flying back to Forks.

"_We're not going home this summer," Alice answered._

"What do you mean you're not going home? I thought we agreed that we'll see each other every summer in Forks," Esme asked.

"_I know, but I'm almost got it. I don't want to stop now," Alice answered._

"But, Alice," Rosalie started but Alice cut her off.

"_I'm trying very hard, Rosalie. We'll try to get there before summer is over, but no guarantees. I don't want any more unnecessary delay."_

"Delay? You think of being with us as delay? We're supposed to be together, that was the agreement," Rosalie was hurt.

"_I know, Rose. I'm sorry but please you have to understand, I really am trying here."_

Rosalie was about to say something again in protest, but Carlisle put his hand on her shoulder.

"Just be home as soon as you can, Alice. We will be waiting," Carlisle said.

"_I'm really sorry, you guys."_

"We know, Alice. It's just we're incomplete without you and Jasper," Emmett said.

Sadness spread throughout the house. We could really use Jasper's power in times like this. But with them here, we won't be gloomy in the first place.

--

A/N: Hopefully after two or so more chapters, I will be writing Renesmee POV but still no guarantees. Something might come up in this head of min :D


	15. Homeschooled

A/N: I haven't started with Chapter 16 yet but I already have the outline so I decided to post this.

It might feel a bit fast-paced. I am setting up for Renesmee's POV soon.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

July came and we started counting down the days before we had to fly back to Forks. Alice and Jasper confirmed that they wouldn't be joining us in Forks for the whole summer. Alice repeatedly apologized for their absence not only during the summer but also for Renesmee's upcoming second birthday.

Our vacation was short and no special event happened. Kate and Garrett already left for Alaska when Tanya and Embry settled on a small house that Embry, with the help of the others in La Push, built right at the border of the vampires and the werewolves.

Esme baked a cake for Renesmee's birthday. We had two candles on it, although she already looked eight. We did not have a party for her like we did last year. We just invited Charlie, Sue and the Blacks for a little get together. Esme and I cooked for our visitors. It was hard to celebrate when we all felt sad because Alice and Jasper were not able to join us.

--

We flew back to Hanover for our classes. Both Jacob and Seth finished their GED and both applied for vocational classes which would also start in mid-September. Jacob planned on Automotive Technician and Seth planned on Computer Networking. Edward and I would continue our college degree courses and Leah and Carlisle would go back to work. Neither Rosalie nor Emmett had any interest in going back to school any time soon.

Instead of asking my dad or Tanya and Embry to drive as to the airport, we decided to take a shuttle. Jacob, Seth and Leah stayed the night to make sure that they wouldn't be late for the shuttle service. As early as five in the morning, we were on the road. The flight was as normal as it could have been. Another shuttle picked us up from the airport and transported us from the airport to our house in Hanover.

When we unloaded our things from the shuttle, we couldn't help but notice the lights were on in the house. We cautiously moved toward the house. The surrounding smelled like roses and freesia. Carlisle unlocked the door and slowly opened it. We were surprised to see Alice and Jasper sitting in the living room.

"Alice! Jasper," we all exclaimed as we ran to them and gave both of them hugs. All of us were surprised, except for Edward.

"Since when did you know they were here?" Esme asked Edward.

"About five miles down the road, but Alice kept saying don't tell anyone so I didn't," he shrugged.

"We're so happy you're back! Now we're all together again," Rosalie squealed and we once again hugged each other.

When we let each other go, Alice walked towards Renesmee. She pulled something from her pocket; it was a charm bracelet.

"Sorry we missed your second birthday. But, of course, I wouldn't let you not have any gift. I saw how much you've grown so I decided to buy you an adjustable charm bracelet. Here." Alice put the bracelet on Renesmee's left wrist since she already had Jacob's bracelet on her right wrist.

"Aunt Alice, this is so pretty," Renesmee exclaimed and gave her a tight hug.

Jasper walked towards her and showed her each of the charms, "You see here, there's a picture of all of us so you'll know we're always with you."

"Thanks Uncle Jasper," she hugged him too.

We all stood around them. It was great to see Alice and Jasper back.

--

The week after, everything was back to our normal schedule. Carlisle and Leah reported back to work. Edward and I went to our night classes. Seth and Jacob started going to Lincoln Technical Institute in Lowell, MA. It would be quite a drive, but they didn't seem to mind.

Rosalie and Alice home-schooled Renesmee while Esme went back to her hobby, interior design. Rosalie taught Renesmee math while Alice taught her Spanish. During the day, I taught her English and Edward taught Science. The library was turned to a formal classroom. Renesmee was given a weekly schedule, homework and even recess and lunch break. It was the closest thing she had for a normal class and she was content with our little setup. I even joined her in her Spanish classes so that I could polish my own.

Renesmee enjoyed her little school at home. She busied herself with homework and even read in advance for some of her classes. Jacob and Seth had been busy with their own schooling that they could only come by during weekends with Leah.

When December came, Charlie, Sue, Billy, Rachel and Paul flew to Hanover. Renee and Phil were not able to join us for the holidays as Phil had to attend the parties held by his baseball playmates. I continually talked to Renee over the phone during the course of the time that we were not together, and I was happy that we were still so much in touch, although not in person.

--

Time flew and seasons changed. Summer was once again around the corner. But this time, instead of going home to Forks, we decided to stay in Hanover. Edward and I decided to take summer classes to catch up and be juniors by September.

Renesmee continually grew and matured. She continued her classes at home. Alice went from teaching her Spanish to French as Rosalie increased the difficulty of her math classes. Edward had more classes than I did so he skipped on teaching Science to Renesmee. Esme filled Edward's time slot; she taught Renesmee art.

Jasper stepped in and taught her US History. He was a little biased when he started teaching about the Civil War so I made sure that she also read the other history books out there. Jasper had very strong feeling towards the Civil War and the last thing we wanted to have in the house was political differences.

Emmett taught Renesmee sports, mostly baseball, although, we usually had to go all the way to the Canadian border to avoid any unwelcome observers. Her reflexes were uncanny for a half-breed. Emmett from time to time wanted to include her in our baseball games but Edward and I would not risk her getting hurt. Renesmee pouted on our decision, but she was obedient and did not protest.

Edward and I decided that Renesmee should learn the story of the werewolves since they were now a part of our lives. Leah, Seth and Jacob rotated in teaching Renesmee their history. We made sure that when they started discussing about imprinting, they were not to mention about the soul mate part of the deal. Renesmee was still far too young for all the soul mate business. Jacob could have his turn when she becomes older.

--

September 10 came; Renesmee celebrated her third official birthday. Alice took us to the mall to shop for new clothes. My daughter was growing so fast and she already outgrew most of her clothes. Alice said that this shopping trip would be our gift to her. I was happy to oblige since it seemed like Alice and Rosalie rubbed off on my daughter as she loved going to the mall.

At age three, she looked like twelve. She was already 5'1", just a few inches shorter than I am. Carlisle gave up on his estimation for Renesmee's growth since she grew much faster than Nahuel. Nahuel did not stop growing until he turned seven; that would be four years from now and by the rate Renesmee was growing, she might be taller than Edward when the time comes.

After our shopping trip, I cooked meat loaf and mashed potato, Renesmee's favorite meal. We invited the pack over to celebrate with us. Esme baked a the birthday cake, as always, and put three candles on it. It seemed ridiculous since Renesmee looked four times older.

--

The next morning, something happened that startled all of us.

"Stay away from my head, Edward," Alice suddenly shouted. We were surprised with her sudden outburst.

"What did I do?" Edward replied. I didn't know why Alice asked him to keep away from her head, but it must be for a good reason. I decided to help by blocking her mind from Edward.

"Alice, shut it! Renesmee's still sleeping," I snapped at her.

"Not for long! Rosalie, Esme, Bella, come with me. Guys, no one better follow, or I swear I will break your neck. Whatever you hear, it's none of your business," she darted up the stairs, straight to Rosalie's room. The guys were startled but no one dared to move.

When Esme closed the door behind us, we all asked her at the same time, "What is going on?"

"Could you block us from your husband, Bella?" Alice asked me.

"I've been shielding you since you shouted at him," I frowned at her.

"Sorry, but I need you to block the three of us, and Renesmee later."

"This must be good," I snarled and inhaled, "Okay, we should be okay, just stay close so I could hold it together."

Alice turned to Rosalie, "Get the longest pair of pants and shirt you have. Oh, and get a bra." She then turned to Esme, "We need clean sheets." Esme nodded, went out the bedroom.

"What is going on, Alice?" Rosalie growled at her while getting what was instructed to her. Esme came back in a flash holding a set of sheets.

"You'll find out soon. C'mon." She dragged us all out of the room, "3, 2, 1."

Right on cue, I heard my daughter screamed. "Mom!!!"

The guys got up from downstairs, but Alice snarled at them, "Stay where you are!"

We darted to Renesmee's bedroom and locked the door behind us. I didn't know what to think, but I smelled something. It smelled inviting and gross at the same time. My eyes grew big and saw the same reaction from Esme and Rosalie; it smelled like blood. But it was not appetizing, it was distinctly different.

Renesmee was standing by her bed, fear in her eyes. Something was totally different. Rosalie, Esme and I looked at Alice. She grew at least half a foot overnight! Her ankle-length pajama now stopped mid-calf. Her shirt was hanging a bit from her navel. Her chest went from flat to full size cup. She looked like an adult.

"Mom, what's going on?" Renesmee asked clutching her pillow. She looked at me, pleading for answer.

"Renesmee, relax, this is normal," Alice said with a soothing voice.

"Alice…" I said since I had no idea what was happening.

"Period. She started having her monthly period," Alice said.

"Oh," we said in unison and we all walked toward Renesmee. She hugged me and cried, "I'm a freak, mom. I'm a freak!"

"Shhh, you're not a freak, angel. You're a girl. Well, I should say a woman as you officially have your menstrual cycle."

"What's a cycle?" she asked.

I took the clothes from Rosalie and handed it to my daughter, "Go take a shower and put this on. We'll tell you what a cycle is.

She nodded, took the clothes and headed to the bathroom. Rosalie and Alice took off the sheets from her bed as Esme and I placed the new ones.

"I guess we have to go back to the mall and return the clothes we bought yesterday," Alice said with new spark in her eyes. "She's going to have a blast buying new ones."

"Alice, you have to return the clothes without Renesmee," I told her and before she could protest, I told her the reason, "How are we going to explain to them that the girl who tried on the clothes suddenly grew half a foot overnight?"

"Point taken," Alice said.

We waited a few minutes for Renesmee to finish taking a shower. She stepped out of the bathroom wearing Rosalie's clothes. The pants were a little long for Rosalie, but it fit just right to Renesmee's ankles. The top fitted fine, rather than hanging. She ran towards me and I hugged her. She was crying again.

"Is this normal?" She asked between sobs.

"All human girls go through this. It's the peek of growth for most girls; you just kind of overshoot your growth," I explained to her.

"How come nobody told me what to expect?" She asked looking at the four of us.

"Blame your dad. He was supposed to teach you science," Rosalie said.

"Rose, do you think Edward will be comfortable teaching his down daughter about her own anatomy?" Alice said and we all agreed. We, the females in this family, should have been the ones to tell her these things. We explained to her about monthly menstrual cycles and what to expect. We should go to the nearest drug store and buy her pads.

"We need to buy new clothes for you, angel. Alice will return the clothes we bought yesterday, and then we'll go to a different mall across town," I told her. I looked at Alice, "What's the forecast outside?" She knew I was not referring to the weather, but about our husbands downstairs.

"They are worried, but it should be safe to go out. Better that you and Renesmee to exit last," Alice suggested as she opened the door.


	16. Growth Spurt

A/N: If you read Chapter 15 as Growth Spurt, the title was mixed up, but the story was in correct order. Chapter 15 is Homeschooled; Chapter 16 is Growth Spurt.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Bella POV)

I wrapped my arms around my daughter as I tried to shush her. Despite our explanation on what she was going through, she was still scared and frightened. It was one thing that she grew faster than a normal kid, four times than normal; it was another that she looked totally different one morning upon waking up. I couldn't imagine the panic that she felt when she woke up this morning. She must have been freaked. I would be forever thankful that Alice pushed her mind to extend her visions so she could see Renesmee.

"What happened?" all the guys exclaimed when Alice opened the door. Rosalie and Esme followed Alice as she went outside the bedroom while I stayed with Renesmee inside her bedroom. I held Renesmee close to me, although it felt a bit awkward since she's taller than me now.

"I have been sensing anxiety from up there," Jasper said.

"Relax. Everything's fine. We just had a little 'feminine' issue to take care of," Alice explained.

"What's going on? Do you have any idea what went through my mind when Edward called the house?" I heard Jacob as he slammed the door open and entered the house; two more entered after him. Great, just want we needed, more audience. I looked at Renesmee, her uneasiness increased and I breathed with her to help her relax.

"Edward, why did you call him?" Rosalie growled at him.

"He had the right to know everything that happens to her; she's his imprint," Emmett muttered and Rosalie hissed at him, "Don't take his side!"

"Emmett's right. Ness is Jacob's concern as much as any of you," Leah scowled.

"Everyone, enough bickering. Alice, just tell us what's going on," Carlisle said and everyone was quiet.

"You better sit down," Esme recommended. I heard steps shuffled.

"Something happened overnight with Renesmee, but nothing to worry about," Alice giggled while explaining. She received growls from everyone. "Chill! She just had her, uhm, first menstrual cycle," Alice said.

Emmett chuckled, "So, what's the big deal?"

"This is not a laughing matter, Emmett," Esme said and he stopped.

"She looked very different now, so keep an open mind," Alice said.

"How different are we talking about? Good different, bad different?" Seth asked.

"Decide for yourselves. Bella, bring her out."

Renesmee tightened her grip on me and I squeezed her hand. I looked at her, putting my hands on her face, "It will be alright. They might be surprised, but remember, this is all new to us. And you are much more beautiful than ever."

She placed her hand on my face,"_You're supposed to say that because you're my mom."_

"No, I say it because it is the truth. Ready?" She nodded, we stepped out of the room and we joined the others.

Everyone downstairs gasped upon seeing Renesmee. They started walking towards the stairs to have a closer look. All, but one. Jacob. His eyes were fixed on Renesmee, mouth hanging in disbelief. I heard Edward hissed at him before he blinked and stood up to join the others.

"Renesmee, look at you, all grown up. You're even taller than your mom," Emmet chuckled. The others joined in.

"Ness, you looked the same age as Bella. You definitely fit the cliché 'you look like sisters'," Seth said and everyone laughed, including us.

Renesmee's face lit up. I brushed away the last tear that fell from her eye. She touched my face once again, _"Thanks, mom."_

"You're welcome, angel." We held hands and headed down the stairs followed by Esme, Alice and Rosalie.

Edward was at the foot of the stairs before we got there and he hugged both of us, "My favorite women in the world." He kissed us on our foreheads and looked at Renesmee then me, "Look at our little miracle."

"Dad, as you can see, I'm no longer little," Renesmee pretended to pout. Edward and I laughed and she joined in.

"I'm still taller than you so you're still little to me," Edward said as he hugged us once more. It was heaven being close like this, my husband and my daughter.

"Carlisle, what do you think about this?" Jacob asked, bringing my family back to reality.

"To tell you the truth, I was as shocked as everybody else. I forgot to consider that she might have her period when her physical body matures," Carlisle said while pacing. "I should log this in my journal. Renesmee, do you mind if we measure you. Just height and weight."

"Grandpa, not again, please? I thought we're done with that," Renesmee pleaded.

"Angel, I think it's for the best that you let Carlisle measure you," I told her and she obliged. She let go of my hand and headed to where Carlisle was. "Carlisle," I said, "just the height. A girl needs to keep her weight private." I winked at Renesmee and she smiled. Her body was almost as slender as Rosalie, no need to know the precise weight. She may not be as beautiful as Rosalie, but she came very close.

Carlisle grabbed his measuring tape from his medicine bag and instructed Renesmee to stand by the wall. I remembered when Renesmee was a few months old; she fidgeted a lot because she was trying to play while we were measuring her. Now, she's fidgeting because she was nervous.

"Stay still and stand up straight," Carlisle instructed, as if she was a little child. "Eight inches overnight, now that is a really interesting growth spurt," Carlisle said as he jotted down the measurement in the journal he kept.

"You mean I'm 5'9"?"

"Good, you can add. Glad to know that you learned something from our math classes," Rosalie chuckled and we all laughed. Renesmee frowned; she was not amused. "Oh, c'mon angel, it was a joke," Rosalie patted her shoulder.

"I know, Aunt Rose. It was just, I don't know, weird? Who grows that much overnight? I'm a freak."

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen, you will not use that term to describe yourself anymore," I told her and she nodded, "Sorry, mom, it sort of slipped."

"Do you think this will be the end of her growth? I mean usually when a girl gets her period, that's the peek, right?" Esme asked Carlisle.

"I can't say for sure, but I would say it's close to 90%. She won't be growing as fast as she used, that is if she still grow any taller," Carlisle explained as he put away his tape. "After a girl gets her first menstrual cycle, average growth is around five inches. Noting that Renesmee is no ordinary girl, I don't think we have to worry of her growing much more. No average girl stretches eight inches overnight."

"And no other girl grows four times the normal rate," Renesmee grumbled but stopped when Edward and I stared at her.

"We should get going. We need to buy you new clothes and return the set we bought yesterday," Alice said as she grabbed Renesmee.

"Alice, it's only nine in the morning. Malls don't open until ten or so," I told her.

"By the time we get to New York, it will be ten," Alice shrugged.

"New York? I said go to the other side of the town, not other state."

"Relax, Bella. At least for sure in New York, no one will recognize her, totally different stores. Want to join us?" Rosalie invited me and I racked my brain to come up with a reason not to. To my relief, Edward came to the rescue, "We need to take care of family business," and then he nodded towards Jacob, whose eyes were still on Renesmee.

"Rose, got your keys?" Alice asked. Rosalie headed to her room to grab her purse, "C'mon, time's a wasting."

"Bye mom, bye dad," Renesmee kissed both of us in the cheek. She smiled at Jacob, who winked at her. Her face turned red as she ran to follow Rosalie and Alice in the car.

--

As soon as the sound of the car fainted, Edward growled, "Jacob, we need to talk, upstairs, now." We walked up the stairs. Seth and Leah was about to follow but Jacob raised his hand to stop them. "Parents," I heard him say.

We walked inside the library. I sat on one of the chairs, but Edward didn't. He leaned on the table across me. As soon Jacob closed the door, Edward snapped, "You are not to think those thoughts about my daughter!" Jacob glared at him.

I looked at Jacob in disbelief, "What thoughts? Are you having dirty thoughts about my daughter?"

"My intention with Renesmee is clean and pure," Jacob growled, but was still glaring at Edward.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, something he usually does when he was stressed or in deep thought. "Mutt can't wait to be her boyfriend."

I got up from my chair, "You. Did. Not! She just turned three!"

"Oh, c'mon you guys, she is as matured as every one of us. She looks and thinks like an adult. You are deceiving yourself for pushing that she's a normal girl; she's not."

"It doesn't matter, Jacob. She's our daughter and she will always be, so no matter how old she looks on the outside, no matter how mature her thinking is, she is still three years old to us," Edward snapped at him.

"I am not planning to take her away from you. But remember what imprinting entails. She is my soul mate and, one way or the other, we will be together. I don't want to force myself for it to happen, but if you leave me no choice, I will do so," Jacob snapped back.

"Is that a threat, mutt?" Edward growled. I leaned over and put my hands on Edward's shoulder. I looked at Jacob, who was breathing hard. "Jacob, relax, please." It took a few seconds before Edward's shoulders relaxed and Jacob's breathing to subside. No one said anything after a minute or so.

"As much as I hate to say this, Edward, Jacob's right. In time, they will be together." I looked at Jacob and bore into his eyes, "But that time is not quite here yet. There are so many things ahead for Renesmee. She's only been in this world for three years and she has eternity ahead of her. We will not take that from her, neither will you." Jacob nodded in agreement.

"There's only one thing that we want to ask of you. You are not to tell her that she's your soul mate until we decided that she experienced enough to determine what she wants to do with her life," Edward stated and I agreed with this condition.

"What if you never agree that she has enough exposure to this world? Am I to wait in the sidelines forever?" Jacob asked.

"We will not cheat you, Jacob. We love our daughter so much, but we will not try to hinder her from her own happiness; happiness that in the end, we know she'll find with you," I sighed.

Jacob nodded, "I acknowledge your terms. But when I feel that you are hindering her from her own happiness, I will tell her what she has the right to know." He left the room without letting us respond to his last statement.

I walked towards Edward and he walked toward me. I wrapped my arms around him and sobbed, "We just can't stop her from growing up, can we?" He tightened his arms around me and shushed my tearless sobs.

I looked at his face and asked, "What was he thinking earlier?"

"He thought Renesmee was the most beautiful woman he's ever seen."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Neither could I, but it was the last thought that bothered me."

"And what is that?"

"He couldn't wait to marry her."

"Oh," was all I could say. I was not ready to accept that my daughter grew so fast, and much more that her pre-destined soul mate had already determined on marrying her.

--

A/N: This is the last Bella POV. Next chapters will be Renesmee POV (Yay!)

Please R&R. Thanks!


	17. Crush

A/N: Finally, Renesmee's POV, yay!

Supposedly, the start of Renesmee's POV is the midpoint of this story, but I don't know if that's still the case. There are lots of things that I want to incorporate in this story so I'll see how far it will go. I promise to make this story as long as possible.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Renesmee POV)

Aunt Rose floored her car as soon as we reached the freeway. Everything was a blur, but not because of the speed. Jacob's smile lingered in my mind. How could he have this effect on me overnight? He was like an older brother I didn't have and best friend. When he winked at me before we left the house, I felt electricity ran through my spine. He eyes bore on me in a way that I never saw before. Just the memory of his beaming face made me smile. I could even hear him call my name, it sounded better in my head. _"Renesmee." "Renesmee."_

"Earth to Renesmee!" Aunt Alice shouted and I jerked my head.

"Huh? What?"

"You're daydreaming, angel. Alice has been calling you," Aunt Rosalie smiled through the rearview mirror.

"Sorry, I'm still processing what happened overnight." It was not a total lie.

"Oh, Renesmee, I don't have to be a mind reader; I know what's going on in that head of yours," Aunt Alice smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't try to fool us, Renesmee. I remember Edward having the same blank look a few years back," Aunt Alice teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about," my face started to feel hot.

"Renesmee's developing a little crush," Aunt Rose teased.

"Rose, she looks too old for a little crush. I think the term is 'puppy love.' How accurate! You know, 'puppy'," Aunt Alice and Aunt Rose giggled.

"Stop it, it's not funny," I grumbled and looked out the window.

"Renesmee, the more you deny, the more we will tease you. Trust me, you don't want us to do that around your parents," Aunt Rose raised her eyebrow.

"You wouldn't dare!" I exclaimed and they both laughed.

"Spill," Aunt Alice said and left me with no choice.

I inhaled and started, "Okay, fine! I have a tiny itty bitty crush on Jacob, happy?"

"Not quite," Aunt Alice said as she turned around to face me behind the driver's seat. "When did start having a crush on him?"

"Not long. Over the summer?"

"What changed? He's been around all this time," Aunt Rose asked.

"I don't know. I matured?" I blushed. I remembered exactly when I started having a crush on him.

--

Back in June, after their last day in school, Seth and Jacob came over. They challenged my uncles to play basketball; my dad was the referee since they wouldn't let him play, having an advantage over everyone.

There was nothing to do in the house; Grandpa and Granma went hunting, so we decided to watch them play. They formed their teams, evened out the height and body built; Jacob and Uncle Jasper versus Seth and Uncle Emmett, white shirts versus colored shirts. Since Seth and Emmett were already wearing white shirts, Jacob and Uncle Jasper had to be the colored shirt. Jacob at that time had a printed white shirt; Uncle Emmett insisted that Jacob change so he wouldn't be confused. Uncle Emmett ran inside the house and in a flash, he tossed a red shirt to Jacob.

"Must I wear your stinky shirt, Emmett?" Jacob asked.

"Either that or you'll play shirtless," Uncle Emmett chuckled.

"I think I'll just do that. I won't be able to concentrate with your stench clinging on my body." Jacob took off his shirt, revealing his abs. My aunts and mom whistled and giggled from the sidelines. My dad and uncles glared at them while Jacob and Seth laugh. Dad growled, "Let's start the game."

That moment when he took off his shirt, my eyes were glued on his body. I saw his perfectly formed abs that was always hidden under his shirt. I've always thought he had a handsome face but never dwelled on it. He was like an older brother; it would be too weird. Besides, I was surrounded by beautiful pale faces 24/7. But I never imagine that Jacob had a beautiful body to match his face. I should have expected it though; he had a nice form, his arms were toned. Anyone could tell just by the way his shirts hugged his body. My face felt hot; that was when I knew that I could never look at Jacob the same way again. I couldn't believe that I developed a crush on my best friend. I might look eleven physically, but my mind was more mature than that. When I realized my dad might hear my thoughts, I started singing 'We are the Champions' in my head.

--

"Well," Aunt Alice said and I snapped out of my flashback, "You're still young. You'll meet other people." I saw her flash a grin to Aunt Rose and Aunt Rose smirked.

"What was that?" I asked.

"What's what?" Aunt Alice asked innocently.

"You're grinning at each other."

"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought maybe you'll like to go out and meet people. You know, other than Jacob."

The prospect of meeting people appealed to me more that I could have imagined. I grew up around my family only. I was never exposed to anybody; my family had always been protective of me. I never felt so desperately in need to meet new people until now. If it was the cure to get Jacob out of my head, I would take it.

"Angel, you have that look again," Aunt Rose said.

"What look?" I asked, truly unaware of my facial expression.

"You look like you're in deep thought. Care to share?"

"I'm just wondering where you go and meet people. It's not like we talk to people around the mall when we go shopping. I don't eat out; I've always eaten in the house. We don't talk to people in the airport. We don't even talk to our neighbors," I replied. There was only one place I knew I could go and meet people.

"Good point," Aunt Alice said then continued, "We met your mom in the school."

I face turned to her and saw her looking at me, "I saw what you wanted to know," Aunt Alice said, tapping on her head.

"You saw what, Alice?" Aunt Rose asked.

"Renesmee wants to go to a regular school."

"Do you think they will let me?" I asked.

"Honestly?" Aunt Rose looked at me through the rearview mirror. I nodded. "It will take a lot of convincing, especially with your over-protective dad."

"Why do you want to go to a real school, angel? You don't like the way we teach?" Aunt Alice asked, pretending to be hurt.

"Stop acting, Aunt Alice. I just want to know what's out there. I'm not planning to go by myself; you two can attend high school with me!"

Aunt Rose groaned, "High school, I'm so over it."

"I can go with you, Renesmee. I like going to high school, it's fun. And besides, I like proms!" Aunt Alice giggled.

"Will you help me convince mom and dad?" I pleaded.

"We'll take care of it," Aunt Alice assured me and patted my hands on my lap. I smiled.

"We're here," Aunt Rose announced as she parked the car.

"Now, Renesmee, before we head out there, I only have two instructions for you. Number one: don't call us 'Aunt' anymore. It will be too weird when people start hearing you calling us aunts when you look the same age as we are." I nodded and Alice continued, "Number two: you will try on the clothes we tell you to try on. Are we clear?" I nodded again. "We're all set; let's get this show on the road."

--

The shopping trip was exhausting. My aunts, being vampires, had all the energy to walk around, from store to store. I, a mere half-breed, was only able to keep up the first few hours. Around noon, I couldn't go any further without grabbing lunch. I skipped breakfast this morning and had no reserved energy to move forward. They let me grab a quick bite in Au Bon Pain inside Macy's.

The trunk was loaded with shopping bags. The back seat barely had room for me. I like shopping with my Aunts, something that my mom was not into, but I never realized that they planned to go all out. They were so excited that I could start wearing high end fashion clothing since I had the body of an adult.

I fell asleep on the way home and was woken up by the breeze when the door opened. I opened my eyes halfway to see who came to help me out of the car. I saw a handsome brown face, inches away from mine.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Jacob greeted me, his face less than a foot from mine.

My eyes flew open. "Oh. Uhm. Thanks," I flustered and set my feet firm on the ground. "The bags are on the other side." I walked toward to the other side of the car without looking at him. I opened the door and grabbed some bags.

"Why don't you go inside and I'll take the others? Alice and Blondie are already in there." His voice brought electricity on my spine and I dropped the Victoria Secret bag that I was holding. I was thankful that the sales lady shoved a bunch of tissues in the bag. I would probably die on the spot if he saw what was inside the bag. I grabbed it and ran to the house. I heard him chuckle and I felt all my blood rush to my head.

--

I went straight for the stairs as soon as I entered the house, "I'll just put this in my room." I stumbled halfway through. Good thing I grabbed the railings which prevented me from tumbling over. I heard my family laugh and my face felt hotter. I hurried as I entered my room and slammed the door behind me.

After a few minutes, my mom entered my room, "Need any help?" I turned around and saw the bags she was carrying. Those were the bags from the back seat of the car. My mom answered my question even before I said it, "He left already. He just wanted to help unload the car. He promised Leah that he'll be home to try the food Esme taught her to cook. Seth had been calling him for the last fifteen minutes; Leah said they won't eat until everyone's home."

I nodded and went back to taking out the smaller clothes from my dresser to make room for the new ones.

My mom walked towards me, "Care to tell me what's on your mind?"

"Everything's just been weird, that's all," I shrugged.

"You sure that's all? I never saw you so flustered. You stumbled a few minutes ago. It never happened to you before, even when you were small. I notice a few things here and there, but not as much as falling on your face."

Did she just say she noticed things? "Like what? What did you notice?"

"Let's see, since that game last June, you've been talking in your sleep a lot more than usual. Sorry, angel, you got that from me."

Oh. My. Goodness. Did she just say I've been talking to my sleep? "Since when did I start talking in my sleep? What have you been hearing? And who heard me?"

"Since you were little, you've been sleep-talking. Just simple things like mommy, daddy, ice cream, cookies, Barbie, Uncle, Aunt, Granma, No more measurement, please. Sometimes you speak Spanish. You're living with vampires with uncanny hearing; all of us hear you when you talk in your sleep."

"But you said I've been talking more than usual. What have I been saying?"

"Just name dropping, here and there," my mom sat at the edge of my bed.

I sat beside her, "How many names exactly?"

"One."

I lied on the bed and groaned. She didn't need to tell me; I already knew the name. I put my hands on my face. I wished the bed would just swallow me whole and never spit me out.

"It's normal to have a little crush, Renesmee. We were a bit worried when you started to develop a little crush when you were just physically eleven, but we remembered that your mind is much more mature than that. I remember I had my first crush when I was nine…"

I cut her off, "But mom, everyone heard me saying his name. Dad probably heard my dreams, too. Argh!"

I heard my mom shifted her body and lied beside me, "Don't worry about your dad, Renesmee. I have been blocking him for you since that first night you said Jacob's name. He was not happy about it, but I told him you have a right to have your privacy in your sleep."

"Thanks, mom, you're the best."

"You're welcome, angel. Why don't we go finish this up so you could eat dinner?" I nodded and we both got up. With her vampiric speed, we finish in two minutes.

--

A/N: I'm super excited about this chapter so I decided to post it right away.

How is this for Renesmee's first POV? Any thoughts?


	18. Enrollment

A/N: Thanks to all who submitted reviews and constructive criticism. I am taking all your comments to heart.

Special shout out to Zombie, Daniel, Sabrina, Kitty and Lindy. For my frequent reviewers, I might throw in your names as part of my story :D

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Renesmee POV)

Mom and I went to the dining room. Granma cooked meat lasagna and had a plate waiting for me on the table. I noticed that my whole family, except Grandpa who's probably at the hospital already, was gathered around and I felt nervous. I noticed my dad's serious look on his face.

"Why is everyone here?" I asked.

"Relax, Renesmee. You're giving me a headache," Uncle Jasper told me. I must have been shooting him my anxiety all day. I sat down and took a bite of the lasagna, not really tasting the food. I was conscious of everyone.

"This is a family meeting. After this morning's event, we felt that we needed to have a sit-down conversation with everyone," Alice explained. "While you were hiding in your room, Rosalie and I told them what we discussed in the car, including the not calling us 'aunt' part."

I dropped my fork on the plate. They said they will talk to my parents but I didn't know they meant to do it today! And with me in the same room!

"I don't think she's ready to attend a normal school yet, Alice," dad said.

"Why not? She's been home-schooled with high school and college level materials; she could handle high school just fine."

"But her growth is not normal," dad snarled.

"Carlisle said that her growth should be steady from here on out, that is if she even grow any taller," Rosalie interfered. "If ever something 'abnormal' happens, we'll pull her out."

"Is that what you want, angel? To go to a normal high school?" My dad looked at me intently and I nodded.

"You said you wanted her to have a normal life, this is the best shot," Uncle Emmett said and my dad glared at him. Uncle Emmett raised his eyebrow, probably telling my dad something from his head.

My dad's face eased before turning to me, "Do you have to attend a normal school now?" I nodded again.

"Can't you wait another year?" mom asked.

"What's the difference between this year and next year?" I lifted the glass of water to drink.

"Next year, your dad and I will be done with college. We could go to high school together." I choked on the water and it went out my nose. I coughed. Mom patted my back and quickly handed me a paper towel to wipe off my nose. My lasagna was ruined. Granma cleaned it up and put it in the sink. I totally lost my appetite.

"I think what Renesmee was trying to say is it wouldn't feel normal if she goes to school with her parents," Rosalie said.

"I will not let my daughter go to school by herself," dad said.

"She's not going by herself," Alice said, "I'm going with her. Now that I can see her in my vision, I'll be totally useful to be around." She winked at me and I smiled at her. "I think it's better that it's just me and Renesmee. We don't want to attract any unnecessary attention, especially this being Renesmee's first time."

"And who's supposed to protect her from guys in school?" Uncle Emmett asked.

"Emmett, I may be tiny, but I am strong. I can protect her from guys just the same as you. Besides, I can see the future. That trumps muscles anytime," Alice replied, sticking her tongue out. Uncle Emmett grumbled.

"You really thought this thoroughly, didn't you?" My dad asked. I looked up to answer but he wasn't looking at me; he was looking at Alice.

Alice nodded, "I've seen it in my head".

"So you'll know my next argument."

"Yes, I know the school year started at Hanover High School already. But who are you kidding, Edward? We are vampires, we always get our way," Alice smiled smugly.

"You are really an uncanny pixie."

"I know. If you'll excuse me, I need to fly to Washington to pick up some papers from J. Jenks. I called him this morning and requested for 'rush' documents. C'mon, Jasper," Alice glided out of the dining room followed by Uncle Jasper.

--

Alice called the next day, _"Carlisle, you and Esme should go to Hanover High School to enroll us under the names Renesmee Cullen and Alice Brandon. I got the paperwork."_

"Why are you using Brandon?" Rosalie asked. Brandon was Alice's last name when she was still human.

"_I think the 'adopted' story is so overrated. Carlisle and Esme will be our legal guardians. Our parents are in Alaska and we wanted to have a different environment for a change so Renesmee's dad sent us to his brother. Renesmee is Carlisle's niece and I am her maternal cousin."_

"What year are we enrolling you in?" Grandpa asked.

"_Junior. And tell them that we're transferring from, let's see," I heard her shuffle some papers. "Aniak High School. Our IDs say we're 17. It will be hard to explain a fifteen-year-old 5'9", don't you think?"_

"Good point. When are you getting back?" Granma said.

"_We're on our way to the airport. We should be back later tomorrow. We need to pick up something on the way."_

"See you soon."

--

Grandpa and Granma took me with them to Hanover High. I was glad that the classes were over an hour ago and the students already left. I was not quite ready to face the students just yet. We met with Mr. Daniel White, the school advisor.

"Thank you for meeting us in such a short notice, Mr. White," Grandpa said as he extended his hand.

I saw Mr. White's reaction to my grandfather's cold hand but he did not say anything, "No problem, Dr. Cullen. It's always a pleasure of the school to have more students."

"This is my wife, Esme, and my niece, Renesmee. I'm afraid that her cousin, Alice Brandon, hasn't arrived yet. We're expecting her to arrive tomorrow." Mr. White shook hands with me and Granma.

"Please be seated," he motioned his hands towards the chairs behind us. "Do you have the transcripts from your old school?"

"That is the problem, Mr. White. Alice had the document and as mentioned by my husband, she won't be arriving until later tomorrow." Granma beamed at him and I heard his heart beat fast. Granma's vampiric power was working big time.

"That is fine, Mrs. Cullen. The classes started last week and we don't want to delay their studies any longer. As long as they arrive before eight in the morning on Monday to bring their transcripts from, uhm, what school were you from again?" his question directed to me.

_Alice, you are one heck of a psychic,_ I told myself before I answered, "Aniak High School in Alaska."

"Right. As long as you arrive with the transcripts from Aniak High School on Monday, everything should be set. I'm afraid that you will to do some catching up."

"They are both bright students. I'm sure they will be able to keep up," Grandpa patted my shoulder. Great, they were showing us off already and I didn't know what to expect in the actual classes.

"Oh, Mr. White," Granma said, flashing her perfect white teeth, "Is it possible for them to have the exact same schedules? This is the first time they've been away from their parents and it would be great for at least the first year, they will be together and not feel out of place."

"I'm sure we could work something out," Mr. White blushed. He actually blushed, that was funny. He turned to me, "So, on Monday, just drop by the registration office and submit your transcripts and they will give you your schedule."

I nodded and Grandpa got up, "Thank you again, Mr. White."

"You are definitely welcome, Dr. Cullen. And," he looked at me, "I will see you and your cousin on Monday."

When we stepped outside the office, I hugged my grandparents, "Thanks so much Grandpa, Granma."

"Shhh," Grandpa said, "We're your Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme when you're not in the house."

"Oopps," I giggled and we laughed as we headed to the car.

--

Around four in the afternoon the next day, we heard a car park in the driveway.

"They're here," Uncle Emmett announced.

"Everyone, I want to show you something," Alice announced by the door.

"What is it, Alice?" We asked in unison

"Come out and see."

We followed her outside and saw a metallic blue Mercedes-Benz CLK350 parked in the driveway. Uncle Jasper was sitting on the driver side. Rosalie, Uncle Emmett, Grandpa and dad whistled. Granma and mom just stood in the corner. They were not into cars, unlike the others.

"Sweet ride, Alice," Rosalie said as she walked to the front of the car and nodded at Uncle Jasper to pop up the hood. They all gathered in front of the car as soon as the hood was lifted. I heard Rosalie whistled once more, "I might trade in my car for one of this."

"You have got to let me take this one for a test drive, Alice," my dad said.

"You can drive it to school later today. We won't need it until Monday." She tossed the key and dad caught it.

"When did you order it?" Uncle Emmett asked.

"Right after I talked to J. It arrived to the dealer this morning from Boston."

"Why did you buy a car, Alice?" I asked her.

"Renesmee, we're not walking to school," Alice answered.

"But why this car? Aren't we supposed to fit in? It's kind of flashy," I shrugged.

"Angel, your uncle is a doctor; we should at least show our 'status,' don't you think?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess. But you have to teach me how to drive so I could get my license."

"I already got you a license," she waved a big envelope and walked inside the inside. Granma, mom and I followed her; the others were still drooling over the new car.

--

I never met this J. Jenks that they talked about but he must be somebody. Alice had our freshman and sophomore transcripts from Aniak High School. It said we were A students there; I definitely needed to do good in school.

We also had driver licenses, both for Alaska and New Hampshire, although I never even touched a steering wheel. "Wow, this looks so real!"

"We pay good money for those, they better look real." Alice winked.

"Thanks, Alice. Thanks mom, thanks Granma, or should I say Aunt Esme?" I laughed.

"Granma in the house; Aunt Esme outside," Granma replied. "I think it's better that none of you talk about our family while you're in school. Hopefully, you won't need to refer to me as Aunt Esme a lot. I like having a granddaughter." She winked at me and I smiled in return.

--

Saturday came, my last weekend before school starts. I couldn't wait for my first official first school day. I got up and glided downstairs. I headed straight to the dining room. Mom made some French toast and eggs for breakfast.

"Mom, you are the best," I kissed her on the cheek and started eating my breakfast.

"You're in a good mood," my mom noticed.

"Alice and I are going to the mall to buy school stuff. In two days, I'll be an official high school student."

"You're happy now, wait until you start getting homework," Uncle Jasper chuckled when he entered the dining room.

"Where are the others?" I asked. The house was quiet.

"Hunting. Your dad is grilling Alice in the library," Uncle Jasper answered.

"Mom?"

"Alice had a vision. Something about school."

"What about it? Something bad?" I asked.

"That's what Edward is trying to find out," Uncle Jasper said.

I heard a door shut. Alice showed up in the dining room in a few seconds, "You ready?"

"Almost. Let me just drink some OJ."

"I'll wait in the car," she glared at dad before she left.

"What was that about?" Uncle Jasper asked my dad.

"She's hiding something," dad replied.

"What she saying in her head this time?" mom asked as I gulped the last drop of my orange juice.

"She's been reciting the Bill of Rights and Pledge of Allegiance over and over in her head," dad replied and then he turned to me, "If she says something to you, let me know, okay?"

"Sure, dad. I'll see you later." I kissed the three of them on the cheek before heading out.


	19. Blush and Butterflies

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Renesmee POV)

"Dad's pretty mad," I told Alice as I buckled my seat belt.

"He'll get over it," Alice replied as we zoom down the road.

"Care to tell me?"

"You'll find out on Monday."

"No fair. C'mon tell me. I promise I won't say a thing to dad," I pleaded.

"Renesmee, if I tell you, you'll think about it so your dad will find out. If you don't think about it, you'll block your head with different thoughts and Edward will suspect something. Just wait two days, okay?"

"Is it good or bad?"

Alice grinned, "My lips are sealed."

She was true to her words; she never said a word about her vision. I wished I had her gift. I felt mine was useless; so what if I could touch someone's face and tell them what was on my mind. Big deal.

--

When we reached the mall, we started to buy our bags first. I bought a purple messenger bag. She got a big purse instead of a school bag. She said she didn't need to read the school materials; it would just be a waste for her to buy an actual bag, but as for me, I would need to take my books home and actually study them. Next stop was the office supplies store for binders, paper, pens and other school supplies that a common high school student has.

It was close to noon when we finished, so I thought of eating first before we head home. I was trying to decide what to eat when Alice's cell rang.

"It's Esme," she told me before she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

I walked towards her and leaned my ear on the phone.

"_Alice, are you almost done?"_

"Yeah, Renesmee's just about to buy lunch. What's up?"

"_Oh, don't buy lunch. Just head home. There's food here."_

"I don't want left over lasagna, Granma," I said.

"_When did I ever feed you left over, young lady?" _She's right; I never ate left over.

"Okay, we're heading back."

--

The ride home was quiet except for my stomach growling. My parents insisted that I live on human food rather than animal blood, although from time to time, they let me hunt with them. The good thing about human food was that they were so many to choose from and the flavors were heavenly. The downside was that I have to eat about three to four hours interval. With animal blood, I could last a couple of days without eating anything, although my mom would always push me to eat in normal schedule. Thanks to my half-vampire side, my body remained in good shape, or else I would look like a fat cow.

When we turned the block towards the house, I saw a Jeep Liberty parked in front of the house. I stiffened and Alice noticed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I felt my heart racing. "Are they all in the house, or just Leah?" I asked. The pack had two vehicles; Leah used the Liberty while Jacob and Seth used the Laredo.

"Relax, Renesmee. Your heartbeat is pretty distracting. Besides, I can't werewolves so I can't answer your question."

"Can you call and check with Granma first? I don't think I can go in there if he's there."

Alice parked the car behind the Jeep and turned to me, "Renesmee, listen to me. This feeling that you have right now, this crush or whatever you want to call it, you have to take control. The whole family knows you have this crush on Jacob; we all heard you say his name in your sleep."

"Mom already told me that," I interrupted.

"That's not the point so don't interrupt." I nodded and she continued, "Jacob doesn't know that you have a crush on him; he might have a hint since you were so flustered when he helped you with the shopping bags couple of days ago, but that's all he has, a hint. So you'll have to play it cool."

"How do I do that?" I asked.

"Take control of your emotions. Act normal as you could. Act like you did before you develop this little crush on him. He's your friend, right? Talk to him like you used to. If you're not sure if you can do it, take baby steps; talk to him only if he talks to you. Don't let him see what you feel inside. I don't know if you noticed but I think Jacob has a crush on you, too."

"No, he doesn't."

"You didn't see the way he looked at you when we got back from New York because you were too busy not falling on your face. But trust me on this; I don't need to see him in my vision to know what I know. Now, use this to your advantage, and not the other way around. You have as much effect on him as he has on you."

"So what you're saying is just act normal even though my face turn as red as tomato just hearing his voice, as if I don't feel butterflies in my stomach just in the mere thoughts of him or don't feel the electricity running up my spine whenever our skins touch?" I asked. Seriously, how am I supposed to act normal when my body was in frenzy!

"Exactly. Trust me on this. It will drive him crazy and you will have him tied on a leash in no time."

"What if I don't want him tied on a leash?" Alice looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, I guess I want him wrapped around my fingers." She smiled and we got off the car.

Before we opened the front door, I breathed deeply and told myself over and over _'Play it cool.'_

--

I was greeted by a bear hug from Seth, "Ness! Congratulations! Finally going to high school, so grown up!" I tapped his shoulder and he let go. He messed up my curly hair. I might be tall, but Seth being a werewolf was still taller than me and could easily reach my head without effort.

I saw Jacob seated in the living room. He didn't greet me like Seth did; he just looked at me and smiled. I shrugged and headed to the kitchen. I felt his gaze follow me when I turned my back. _Play it cool_, I told myself which stopped me from jumping in excitement.

Leah was in the kitchen with Granma and mom. They had steak cooking up in the indoor grill, "Yum. I could smell the food from outside." I kissed my mom and Granma on the cheek and hugged Leah. She had been comfortable with my grandmother, mother and I, just not the others.

"We should have celebrated sooner, but we've been busy. Those bozos with school and I at work; Lindy's on vacation until next week so I had to stay longer than usual in the agency office," Leah said as she hugged me back.

"There's not really much to celebrate. It's not like I'm not being homeschooled."

"High School is a lot different, Ness. There you have classmates, actual teachers and crappy food from the cafeteria." We laughed at the last part of her statement.

I heard someone walking towards the kitchen. "Do you need any more help?" Jacob asked. My face felt hot and I had to control my breathing so that my blood would circulate from my face.

"Volunteer now when we're almost done. You're just showing off because Ness is here," Leah said. Granma and mom giggled.

I saw Jacob rub the back of his neck. _Busted! _ I thought triumphantly.

"The food should be ready in five minutes. Angel, could you start setting up the table. Jacob, you could give her a hand if you want to be useful," mom instructed. My own mother threw me in a trap. She knew I would be uncomfortable having him so near. If I break one of Granma's china, it would definitely be her fault.

"Sure," Jacob answered and hurried to my side, "What can I help you with?"

I inhaled to relax but it didn't help. His outdoorsy smell swam through my nostrils making me more agitated. _Play it cool_, I repeated to myself. I turned to face him and he flashed his breath-taking smile on me. _Damn smile!_ "The plates are on that shelf to your left. I'll get the silver."

I walked towards the right drawers and gathered four sets of silverware. Jacob already placed the plates on the table when I came to the dining room. I positioned the fork and steak knife beside each plate. I could feel his eyes on me and I decided to call him on it. I looked up, "Why are you staring at me? Did I set up the utensils wrong?"

It was his turn to blush, how cute! I didn't dwell too much on his face or else I would lose my control. I looked down again and placed the remaining utensils on the table.

"No, the setting's perfect. I just couldn't believe you're all grown up, that's all," Jacob answered, rubbing the back of his neck once more.

"Everyone's still trying to get used to it, especially me." I had to get out of here before I say or do something stupid, "I forgot the glasses." I turned around and went back to the kitchen.

--

Everyone was gathered in the dining room although only four of us were eating.

"All set for Monday?" Rosalie asked me.

"Yes," I answered, "Got our pretend bags and binders."

"It's pretend for me, angel, but I'm afraid not so much for you just yet. You'll need to do more work that I do and you need to sleep, I don't," Alice said. I stuck my tongue at her. She laughed.

"Any plans for tomorrow? It's your last day of 'freedom'," Jacob asked.

"We're hunting tomorrow," my dad answered quickly.

I was surprised. The last time they let me hunt was a couple of months ago. "Just a little precaution, Renesmee. You're going to be in a closed room with bunch of students," dad said after reading my thoughts.

I nodded. Better safe than sorry.

--

After we finished lunch, I volunteered to wash the dishes even though we have a dishwasher. I need to keep myself preoccupied.

Everyone separated to small groups to chat. Leah was with mom and Granma talking about recipes. Alice and Rosalie were talking about car options and the guys headed to the TV. Grandpa went to the library. I put all the dirty dishes on the sink and started scrubbing under the water.

I almost stabbed myself with the steak knife when I heard Jacob's voice, "You wash, and I'll dry."

"Don't do that," I shrieked. "I almost cut myself!"

"You're indestructible, Ness," he teased.

"Half-human; I could still get hurt," I snarled at him.

"You're over dramatic," he said as he took the knife from my hands. I felt his touch on my hand and electricity ran up my spine again. _Be in control_, I told myself.

We continued washing and drying the dirty dishes without saying a word, brushed of each other's hands in the process but I played it cool, never felt my face blush or break any of Granma's china.

As soon as we finish, I headed out and joined Alice and Rosalie. The guys looked up when Jacob joined them, "Such a girl," they teased him and laughed.

--

They day passed without any more interaction with Jacob. We didn't say a word to each other until it was time to say good night.

"Good night everyone," Leah and Seth said and got into the Jeep.

Jacob was on his way out and I was about to shut the door when he turned around, "So, uhm, Ness."

"Yeah?"

"Take care in school, okay?" I saw the concern in his eyes

I couldn't help but smile, "Alice will be there, too. I'll be okay."

"Good to know. I guess I'll see you next weekend?" he sounded hopeful.

"I guess," I shrugged.

He tucked lose hair behind my ear that made me shiver, but I quickly regained my composure, "You should get going. They're waiting for you."

"Good night, Ness."

"Good night, Jake."

He walked towards the Jeep and turned his head one more time, "And, Ness."

"Yeah?"

"Sweet dreams." With that, he walked towards the Jeep without looking back, sat on the back set and Leah drove away.

Good thing my mom could use her shield around me. I already knew my dreams would be all about Jacob tonight.

--

A/N: If you're wondering what Alice saw in her vision that she was hiding from Edward, you'll have to wait as well =D


	20. First Day

A/N: Sorry it took a few days before I posted a new chapter. I was working on my other story, **Embry's Imprint**, for a reason to be revealed on the later part of this story.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Renesmee POV)

_I was in a familiar place; I was in the forest not far from our cottage in Forks. I was walking by myself and I heard some twigs snapping; someone was following me. I stopped, turned and saw Jacob smiling at me. I smiled back at him. He walked towards me and extended his hand and I reached for it. He tugged me closer and I crashed to him. He looked down on me with that breath-taking smile and my eyes were glued on him. He leaned down and closed the gap between our face; our lips inches away. I breathed in and his scent filled my lungs. I closed my eyes as I felt his face closed in to mine. He said my name which made me shiver. "Renesmee." He had always called me Ness or Nessie, but intimate moments like this, it just seemed proper to call me by my whole name. "Renesmee, Renesmee, Renesmee," he said three more times. I waited for a few seconds but his lips never reached mine so I decided to open my eyes and saw my mom's face instead._

"Ack!!!" I shrieked.

"Well, good morning to you, too, angel."

"Sorry, mom, I was having a good dream then you woke me up."

"I could tell; you were smiling," mom teased.

"You could have given me a minute or two."

"I gave you five minutes already, Renesmee. Time to hunt. If we wait, we won't have much time. Get dressed," mom instructed as she left the room.

I got up and changed to a pair of jeans, shirt, sweater and sneakers, my hunting attire. My vampire family had uncanny hunting skills, even my mom who had only been a vampire less than five years. Unfortunately, I had not mastered the art of hunting since I was half-human and my hunting trips were limited. Alice would hate my nice clothes to go to waste, but since I outgrew most of my old clothes, I had to settle for the new ones.

--

When I got downstairs, my mom was the only one waiting for me; no sign of Alice, Uncle Jasper or dad. It was supposed to be the five of us going since the others went yesterday. "They left us? Was I that late?" I asked my mom.

"I told them to go ahead so we could have a mother-daughter moment. I don't get to spend a lot of time with you."

We held hands as we headed to the mountains towards the Canadian border. We headed west since the others headed east. This way, there would be no chance for them to hear our conversation. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I picked up a scent of elks further north. I started running, mom reached me in no time.

We jumped on two elks and drained them. I was full but mom needed more. She ran after one more and drained its blood. She was flawless, not a drop of blood on her; I had some blood on my sneakers.

"Animal blood sure tastes good, just a bit messy," I said as I tore off a few leaves from a nearby tree to scrape off the blood from my shoe.

"You're dad and I agreed to let you hunt with us during the school year. We don't want any mishap happening in school."

"Hopefully that will help me with my hunting skills. I would hate to ruin the nice clothes Alice bought for me."

--

We started walking back down the mountains without saying a word. "So," mom broke the silence. Here we go.

"Jacob seemed to be taken by you."

"Alice told me. I don't see it."

"You're too busy hiding your own feelings that you don't see what's in front of you."

"Mom, this is all new to me. He was supposed to be my friend. It's rather awkward."

"Well, I just want you to take things slow, okay?"

"Mom, really, it's not like that. He's not even saying anything," _much to my disappointment_, I wanted to add.

"Just take your time, that's all your dad and I ask."

"Okay, mom. I don't know why you're telling me this, but yes, I will take my precious time. And as long as everyone keeps their mouths shut about my sleep-talking, I think everything should be okay."

"Thanks, angel." Mom hugged me and we ran back to the house.

--

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I was so eager for the day to be over so that I could go to school already. I prepared all my stuff and with Alice's help, we picked my first day of school outfit.

I lied restless on my bed that night. It was the first night since June that the reason for my restlessness was not about Jacob. I kept rewinding in my head what the campus looked like. I didn't see any students when we first went there to meet with Mr. White. Tomorrow would be a totally new day for me and I couldn't wait to experience it.

I kept waking up every hour throughout the night. My body was too excited to sleep. At last, my alarm clock read 6:50, just ten minutes before the set alarm time. I turned off the alarm set so that it would not go off. I went to the bathroom, took a shower and fixed my hair. I was ready by 7:30. I headed downstairs with my bag on my shoulder. Alice was sitting on the sofa, magazine at hand.

"You're up early," Alice greeted.

"Too excited," I beamed at her.

"Good morning, angel," my parents hugged me. "You ready?" dad asked.

"As ready as I could be."

Alice got up, "I'll be ready in five minutes." She dashed upstairs to their room. My family relied so much on their speed. I was faster than a normal human but I was used to moving in normal speed.

"You should eat a hearty breakfast before you go," Granma said and led me to the kitchen, followed by my parents.

Uncle Jasper, Uncle Emmet and Grandpa were standing around me, all with serious expression. I grabbed the pancake that Granma made and stood by the counter. I started eating; I looked at them but none of them said anything. I just ate and observed them as they looked at me. Staring contest, fun.

I heard the front door open. Rosalie stepped inside the kitchen, "Car's ready." She smiled at me and I signaled her to look around with my eyes. She noticed the serious look on everyone's faces, "Who died?"

"We're just making sure that she's not going to have a nervous breakdown with all the excitement," Uncle Jasper said.

Rosalie and I started laughing. "I thought you guys are going to give me a rundown why I shouldn't go to school," I said.

"That, too," Uncle Emmett said.

"There's no stopping us, Emmett," Alice chimed in. Dad glared at her but she didn't address him at all. She looked at me, "Ready to go?"

I nodded. I kissed everyone on the cheek. I hugged my parents, "I'll be fine. Don't worry." I winked at them and headed out the door.

--

Alice stepped on the gas and we zoomed our way to school. She parked with ease in the almost empty parking lot. We got to school early since we had to bring our transcripts to the Registration Office.

"Excited?" Alice asked as we walked to the office.

"Yeah. I'm all giddy right now."

We stopped just right outside the Registration Office. Alice turned to me, "Okay, here's the thing. We are going to have a total of six classes for the whole day. We only have five classes together; we'll have different classes for the last period."

"What? But we specifically requested for us to have the exact schedule."

"I know, but they could only squeeze one person in the Art class and since by last name, I am ahead of you, they put me in Art."

"What class do I have, then?" I was getting worried.

"PE."

"Yes! I thought it was something I would hate. You scared me."

"Renesmee, remember that you're stronger than these people so control, don't show off or we'll get kicked out in no time," Alice warned me.

"I know, Alice. Now, c'mon, let's get this show on the road." We opened the door and entered the office.

"Good morning, can I help you?" the lady in the front counter asked.

"My name is Alice Brandon and this is my cousin, Renesmee Cullen. We're supposed to bring our transcripts and get our class schedule," Alice said and handed our transcripts to the receptionist.

"My name's Brittany," we shook her hand. She shivered a little bit when she shook Alice's hand but didn't say anything. "Here are your schedules. Make sure that all your teachers sign this card and bring it back here by the end of the day. If I'm not here, just tell them to put it in my box. I'm responsible for students with last name starting from A to G."

"Thanks, Brittany," I smiled at her. I compared our schedule and the psychic was right; we have the same classes except for last period.

Alice and I turned towards the door, when Brittany called us back. "Hold on, a student is headed to guide you around the campus. She'll be here in a few minutes." The door opened and an Asian girl entered.

"Speaking of," Brittany said. "Marianne, meet Alice Brandon and Ren, uhm, wait," she looked for my paperwork. I helped her out. "I'm Renesmee."

"Please to meet you both," Marianne shook my hand then Alice's. "Cold hand," she said. Alice just smiled at her.

We stepped out of the office and walked down the hall. "So, where are you from?" Marianne asked.

"Alaska," Alice said. "How about you, are you from here?"

"Born and raised here. Might even be going to college here, too. Dartmouth maybe," Marianne answered.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Oh yeah? We know two students there." Alice looked at me in disbelief.

"Who?"

"Our, uhm, other cousins," I said.

"So, what classes do you have?" Alice changed the subject.

"I have Algebra, PE, English, History, Spanish and Art."

"We have five classes together!" Alice exclaimed.

"You guys have five, I only have four with you," I said and glared at Alice. "I have PE for sixth period."

"You're in the same class as Sabrina, then. She's in our English class, too. So don't worry, uhm, Renas, uhm, sorry, what's your name again?"

"Just call me, Ren." I saw Alice smile and I winked at her. I didn't want to tell people that they could call me Nessie. Last think I wanted to happen in my first day was to be teased as the Loch Ness monster.

We stopped at the end of the hall, "Welcome to Algebra," Marianne said with sour enthusiasm.

--

The first half of the day quickly passed. Marianne showed us the Biology lab before going to the gymnasium. Alice and I sat at the back of the class, the last table available. It was good that Alice was my lab partner; this class would be so easy.

We met Marianne in English class. Before we went to the Algebra class for first period, she pointed us the hallway to take for third period. We were still early and the teacher was not in the classroom yet. Marianne was already seated and was chatting with a blond girl. She saw us come in and waved us to come over.

"Sabrina, these are the new students I was telling you about, Alice and Ren."

"Oh, hi," she shook both our hands. She didn't seem to mind Alice's cold hand. Marianne might have given her a heads up. She turned to me, "Marianne said you have PE for sixth period." I nodded. "Great. I'll wait for you then." She smiled and the teacher entered the classroom.

Alice and I handed our registration card to Mr. Thomas. The only two seats left in class were on the either side of the class. Grudgingly, I headed to the one toward the window and Alice sat on the one by the door.

After English, Sabrina walked to her next class, while Marianne walked with us to History class. There were not a lot of students in our class so we sat together. I paid a lot of attention to this class since Uncle Jasper's History lessons were a little biased.

Finally, the lunch bell rang. The first half of my day was over.


	21. The Kittens

A/N: Thanks to all who took time to post review/s. Special shout-out to Sasha aka sas nessie who reviewed each chapter in one day.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Ren POV)

Sabrina was waiting for us by the cafeteria. The four of us walked in together. There were some people who stared at us. Alice warned me beforehand that we would get this kind of attention because we looked different.

Alice didn't bother to get a tray. I grabbed a slice of pizza and a can of orange soda. We followed Sabrina and Marianne to their table.

"Alice, how come you didn't get any food?" Marianne asked.

"I'm on a special diet. I have a lot of allergies," Alice said, not a total lie. She really was on a 'special' diet.

"Do you bring your own food, then?" Sabrina asked.

"No. I eat at home. I could stretch my hunger so I could wait until I get home to eat lunch. I'm so used to it. I would rather wait than get allergic reaction." Sabrina and Marianne nodded in agreement. At least we already settled any questions about Alice's eating habits.

"So, how do you like the school so far?" Sabrina asked.

"It's different, but it's good kind of different," I smiled.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you move here?" Marianne asked.

"We could only take so much snow and dark days," I laughed lightly and Alice joined in. _Please don't ask anymore_, I thought to myself and they didn't.

Sabrina and Marianne had been friends and schoolmates since Junior High. They used to have the exact the same classes, except this year because Sabrina took some elective classes already. While they were telling us the 'things to know,' I heard footsteps behind me; someone approached our table. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend, Bina?"

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Ladies, standing behind you is my older brother, Ken." Both Alice and I turned our heads and I pretended to cough. Alice did the same thing. We looked at each other; I knew exactly what was going on in her head. Sabrina's brother was tall, blond, and handsome with a perfect body and dressed well. He was the spitting image of Ken, Barbie's Ken. I wondered if anybody pointed that out to him at all.

"Ken this is Ren and Alice, both Juniors. Ladies, Ken's Senior, in Varsity Basketball, captain and star player," Sabrina continued her introduction.

Ken shook both our hands. He held on to my hands longer than necessary. "Bina forgot to mention that I'm single and available." Alice and Marianne giggled. Sabrina rolled her eyes. My face burned. I slightly tugged my hand from his and he got the idea; he let go but not after one last squeeze.

"You were here last week, right?" Ken asked.

"How did you know? I didn't see anybody."

"I was in my car, taking a breather before heading to basketball practice. I saw you walking with your parents."

"They're not my parents; they're my uncle and aunt."

"I see. When you guys left, I went to Mr. White's office and asked the secretary who you were. I had been looking forward to meeting you. Too bad I couldn't change my class schedule to match yours," he said with a smile. I almost forgot to breathe.

I was saved by a group of guys who came over our table, "Ken, time to go." They patted him on the back and he nodded. He turned to us, "Duty calls. See you ladies later." He then turned to me, "Bye, Ren." He winked and left.

"Looks like Ren's got an admirer, or more like a stalker," Marianne teased; Sabrina and Alice giggled.

"Stop it," I blushed.

"Oh, don't worry, Ren. I won't mind if you date my brother. He never said anything about a new girl, or two new girls, coming to school today. Don't want to jinx it, I guess," Sabrina teased some more and the three of them chuckled.

"Wait, you guys are available, right?" Marianne asked.

"I'm taken," Alice said, "She's not, but maybe not for long." They giggled again. My face felt so hot.

"Where are they going anyway?" I asked.

"They have an away game; they're leaving early. Miss him already?" Sabrina teased.

"Just asking," I mumbled. I tried to look somewhere else and noticed a couple of tables away, five girls were seated; two of them stared at us.

I looked away and asked Marianne, "Who are they?" I nodded towards the girls.

"The Kittens. The long haired blond is Kitty, senior and head cheerleader. Typical scenario, dating the quarterback, Cedric." Kitty was pretty, tall and had a body to show off but she had nothing compared to Rosalie.

"The brunette is Tabitha," Marianne continued. "Junior, Assistant head cheerleader, dating the lacrosse captain, Nathan." She was pretty, although Kitty's prettier.

"The short haired blond beside Tabitha is Kara, Kitty's sister. She's a Junior and cheerleader by force since Kitty's the head. She's really nice, unlike Kitty. The other two are Sasha, the one with the red highlights, and Beatrice, Sophomores. They are like Kittens on training." Alice and I nodded when Marianne was finished telling us who they were.

When I looked at their table again, I met Kitty's eyes. She rolled her eyes on me and signaled the girls to go. Kara was not done with her food yet, but got up anyway. Kara smiled at Sabrina when they passed; Kitty glared at her. She bowed her head and followed her older sister. We looked at Sabrina.

"Ken went out with her for a couple of months last year," Sabrina said as soon as the Kittens left the cafeteria. "Ken was a candidate for team captain, but Coach Genson picked a Senior instead. Kitty said that the Kittens only dates team captains but since Oliver was already dating someone from a different school, Kara was left on the sidelines. Kitty broke up Kara and Ken."

"Oh," Alice and I said.

"Yeah, I know. Ken tried to talk to Kara but Kitty's always there so Ken gave up and started going out with some other girls. Nothing lasted more than two or three dates, though. He really liked Kara," Sabrina shrugged.

Alice suddenly fell silent, her eyes focused nowhere. I knew that look; she just had a vision. She looked at me. I pretended to move some hair from her face; I slightly touched her face to ask her, _"What did you see?"_

She shook her head. She looked at Sabrina, "So, how about now? If he still interested in her?"

"Well, obviously, his attention is now directed to someone else," Marianne said and the three of them giggled once more. I groaned.

Finally, the warning bell rang. I could only take so much teasing in one day. Sabrina walked to her next class while Marianne, Alice and I headed to our Spanish class.

--

Thanks to Alice's Spanish classes at home, I could easily get an A in this class. The exercises on the books looked much easier than the assignments that Alice had me do before.

After Spanish, Marianne pointed me to the gymnasium. Alice excused us from Marianne.

"Renesmee, this is the only class that we don't have together and I can't watch your back, so be careful, okay? Watch your surroundings carefully," Alice said.

"Why don't you just tell me what's going to happen?" I asked.

"I don't know exactly what's going to happen. Remember, my visions depend on the decisions made. I can't be sure, so just watch your back. And act human, okay?"

"Okay."

Alice squeezed my hand before she headed to the Art building with Marianne.

--

Sabrina was waiting for me by the gymnasium and we walked in together.

"Coach Noble, this is Ren Cullen, new student," Sabrina introduced me to our PE teacher.

"Thanks, Sabrina. Go ahead and change." Sabrina nodded and headed to the locker room.

Coach Noble signed my registration card and handed it back to me. "Excuse me a second." He blew his whistle and made an announcement, "Everyone, get the balls and play. I'll be walking around in a few."

He turned to me, "September to December, we are playing volleyball. January to March is Badminton then on spring, we'll play on the softball field. Do you play any sports?"

"I played a little of everything here and there," I said, totally true. Uncle Emmett thought me all the sports out there, vampire baseball included.

"Good. Do you plan to try out for any team? There's still a spot open for the softball team."

I was about to answer when a ball hit the left side of my face. I dropped my registration paper and held on my face, "Ow!" It hurt only a little, just like being pinched, but I remembered what Alice said, _act human_. I closed my eyes and pretended to be in pain.

"Are you alright?" Coach Noble supported me. He blew his whistle and everyone stopped.

"Oh, my. Ren, are you okay?" I heard Sabrina asked while she ran towards me. I was okay, but I had to lie. I shook my head.

"Who did that!?" Coach Noble was mad.

"Kitty and Tabitha," Sabrina answered. I opened my eyes and looked at Kitty and Tabitha on the other side of the net with a smug look on their faces.

"Kitty, Tabitha, detention," Coach Noble said.

"So worth it," I heard Kitty snickered. It was not meant for the others to hear, but being a half-breed, I heard her clearly.

"Bring her to the nurse's office," Coach Noble instructed Sabrina and we walked out of the gymnasium.

--

After we walked a few feet from the gymnasium, I let go of my face. "Sabrina, I'm fine."

"No, your not. Your face is so red."

"Can we go to the restroom first?" I asked.

"Sure. This way."

We went inside the restroom and I looked at my face. Sabrina's right, it was red and no way would it be gone before we go home. My parents would be furious.

"I think I'll just head to the car," I said to Sabrina.

"Oh, no you don't, Ren. You need ice on that," she pointed on my face. "I'll drag you if I have to." I could easily pry her off me if she decided to drag me, but I obliged and walked with her to the nurse's office.

--

As soon as the nurse gave me ice pack for my face and told me to lie on the bed, Sabrina excused herself so she could get her stuff from the locker room. She said that she would send a message to Alice in their Art class that I was in the nurse's office, although I knew that Alice saw me sitting here before the ball hit my face.

When the final bell rang, not five minutes passed and Alice was already in the nurse's office with Marianne.

"What happened?" Alice asked as if she didn't know already. She whispered low so that only I could hear, "Sorry, angel."

"Kitty and Tabitha," Sabrina said.

"What!?" Marianne said in disbelief.

"It was my fault; I wasn't looking," I said.

"You're targeted, Ren. Don't defend them," Sabrina said.

They helped me off the bed and we walked towards the car. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" Sabrina asked. I nodded and they left.

Alice pulled out from the parking lot. As soon as no more students were in sight, I put down the ice pack and flipped the mirror. "Great! Dad's gonna kill us!"

"Now you know why I hid my vision from your dad."

"What exactly did you see, Alice?"

"Ken and Kitty. Ken practically stalking you and Kitty hating you the moment Ken approached our table. If Edward saw Ken's interest in you and Kitty's reaction, he wouldn't let you go to school."

"I'm sure after seeing this face, he's never gonna let me out of the house, ever!"

"We'll just have to convince them that it was an accident." I nodded.

--

When we were a few blocks away from the house, Alice told me to put my hair on the side, "It will help hide your face."

I ran my fingers on my hair to distribute the curls evenly. Alice started singing an old song that I knew, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. I wondered what she was doing, then she mouthed 'Edward' and I knew right away what she meant. We had to block our thoughts about the accident. I sang with her and we were still singing when we entered the house.

"Looks like you had fun," my mom greeted me with a tight hug.

"It was great mom!" I exclaimed.

"So, tell us what happened," dad said. I put my hands on their faces and backtracked from the beginning of the class. As soon as I got to the part that we sat with Marianne and Sabrina for lunch, I put my hands down. They didn't need to know about Ken and the events afterwards.

"Looks like you have new friends," mom said with a smile.

"Yes, they're really nice there," I said.

I stiffened when Dad tucked my hair on my right ear. He noticed my reaction, "Are you okay, angel?"

"Yeah, I just remembered I have an assignment in History. Don't tell Uncle Jasper," not a lie, but it was not the reason I stiffened. "We have so much homework to catch up on."

"Well, you better get started then. What do you want to eat for dinner? I'll cook before we leave for school," mom asked.

"Pasta?" I said the first thing I thought of.

"Okay, angel," mom kissed my forehead.

I continued singing while I went upstairs. As soon as I closed my bedroom door behind me, I ran to the bathroom and checked my face again. The redness faded a bit; I sighed in relief. With a coat of foundation, I could easily hide the rest of the mark.


	22. Boy

A/N: It was hard to write this chapter. Actually, it's getting harder to write this story. The plot is done, but putting them together is a bit tricky.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Ren POV)

I took my time in changing my clothes and applied the much needed foundation before grabbing my bag and headed to the library. Alice was already there with her books on the table. She was looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Good job on the face. I didn't think of that."

"Shhh, they might hear you!" I told her.

"Don't worry about them, they're very much pre-occupied."

I started pulling out my binder and books to start on our homework. We had two-weeks material to catch up on. Lucky for Alice, she could do it overnight; unlucky for me, I needed sleep. So much for being a half-breed.

"Are you at least going to help me finish half of my homework?" I asked Alice.

"You wanted a normal school; you'll have to do your own homework," she replied smugly.

"Cheat!" I stuck my tongue on her. She just laughed.

I read my Algebra syllabus; this class would be easy. I was pretty good in math, thanks to Rosalie. I would be able to finish my two-week homework in no time. Speaking of Rosalie, the door opened.

"How's school?" Rosalie hugged me.

"It was good. Different, but good. Where were you when we got in?" I was so nervous about my face that I didn't realize she wasn't there when we got in, nor was Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper and Granma. I knew Grandpa was already in the hospital.

"I was watching Emmett and Jasper wrestle. Emmett kept saying Jasper cheats because he kept losing. They didn't stop until Esme stepped in," Rosalie explained. "So, did you meet any boys?"

I was about to answer when the door opened. "I was just about to ask that, Rose," mom said.

"I thought you're making me dinner?" I asked my mom.

"Esme said that she already pre-made some meat ravioli. She'll just cook those instead of me starting from scratch."

"Jacob's favorite," I muttered to myself.

"Well, someone's been paying much attention to his favorite," mom teased.

I groaned, damn vampire hearing! "Please, I could only take so much teasing in one day."

Alice giggled. "So, who was it?" Rosalie and mom asked.

I glared at Alice, she should have not reacted. As if reading my mind, she said, "You're the one who slipped up first."

"You know we're not going to stop until you tell," Rose teased.

"Fine!" I was about to put my hands on their faces when I thought about someone, "Dad."

"Don't worry about him. Just keep your voices down so they won't hear. I'm blocking this room," my mom said. "So, you were saying?" With that, I put my hands on Rosalie's and my mom's face. I replayed from the moment Alice and I turned around to see the guy who approached our table in the cafeteria. I skipped the names.

"He's cute!" Rosalie exclaimed. Alice, mom and I shushed her. "Sorry!"

"What's his name?" mom asked.

Alice giggled, "Guess." I couldn't help but giggle with her.

"What's funny?" Rosalie asked.

"Just guess, c'mon, it's easy," Alice said. When none of them responded, Alice continued, "Who does he remind you of?"

"Barbie's Ken?" mom said. Alice and I couldn't contain ourselves any longer and we laughed hard.

It took a moment before Rosalie and mom realized why we were laughing. "You're kidding!" Rosalie exclaimed. When Alice and I didn't stop laughing, Rosalie and mom joined in.

"No way!" mom exclaimed as she continued laughing.

We were laughing so hard that the guys went to the library, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Rosalie replied while she tried to stifle her laugh.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me," Uncle Emmett said.

"It doesn't concern any of you, so shoo," mom said and they left.

As soon as the door closed, we started laughing again. I was in tears before we stopped.

"It looked like Ken's interested in you, angel," mom said.

"More like a stalker," Alice said. I glared at her but she just continued, "He saw Ren the first time she went there with Carlisle and Esme. He's been looking forward to meeting her. He even thought of switching classes to match hers but no luck."

"Ren?" mom asked.

"They were having a hard time with Renesmee and I don't want to be teased as the Loch Ness monster so I decided on Ren. Hope you don't mind," I told my mom.

"I like it," Rosalie said and mom nodded in agreement. "Ken and Ren. It rhymes," Rosalie laughed.

"Is he who you were blocking from Edward?" mom asked Alice.

"Yes," Alice answered.

"Well, you did the right thing. Edward would be furious if a boy ogles over our angel here, not that you can help it," mom said while she ran her hand on my curls.

"Can we just drop this conversation, please?" I requested. They shrugged and changed the subject.

"So what classes do you have?" mom asked.

"Algebra, Biology, English, History and Spanish. I have Art and Ren has PE for sixth period," Alice answered.

"PE? Are you going to be okay in that class?" Rosalie asked. Although I was not as strong as my vampire family, I was still a lot stronger than a normal human being. If I lost my control, I could easily hurt someone.

"I'll be fine, Rosalie. It's just volleyball for now," I said.

"Did you get to play?" Rosalie asked and I looked at Alice. I couldn't lie but I couldn't tell them the whole truth either. I just settled for half truth, "Not yet. Coach Noble just told me the schedule. Volleyball in fall, Badminton in winter then Softball in spring. He asked if I played any sport or if I wanted to try out for the softball team, I think I'll pass. I'm too good in vampire baseball; others might get suspicious if I keep hitting home runs."

"I think you should stay away from playing any sport aside from the PE classes, just a precaution," mom said. I simply nodded.

The door opened and my dad came in, "Bella, love, we're leaving in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Edward. I'll just change and will be down in a sec," mom replied. "Bye, Renesmee, I'll see you tonight." She kissed the top of my head before she left the library.

My dad turned to me, "What are you doing?" I showed him the cover of my Algebra book. "I see. Study well, angel." He kissed the same spot mom kissed and went downstairs.

"I'll let you girls study," Rosalie said and headed to the door.

"Finally, peace and quiet," I said and took out the mp3 player my dad gave me three years ago. I hummed with the music while I work on my Algebra homework. Alice was filing her nails. She could easily do all our homework in an hour or so.

--

I was so focused in doing my homework that I didn't hear Alice when she was calling me. I noticed she was trying to get my attention when she took out one of the earpiece of my mp3 player, "You have visitors."

"Who?"

Just as I asked, the library door opened. Seth and Jacob came in with their school bags. It looked like they went straight here after school. Seth scooped me up on a bear hug, "Nessie! So how was your first day?"

"I would answer if you let me breathe," I said. He set me down and I caught my breath. He was not as strong as Uncle Emmett but his grip was tight. "Aside from the make-up homework, school's great."

Jacob was standing behind Seth. Seth hugged me when he saw me; I wasn't sure if I would get the same greeting from Jacob. I stayed composed as Alice suggested to me before and went to hug him, "It's good to see you, Jacob." I must have caught him off guard because his body stiffened. "You okay?" I asked.

"I'm good. Just surprised," Jacob replied. I shrugged and sat on my chair.

"You can study here, if you want," Alice said. I glared at her and she just winked at me. How was I supposed to concentrate if Jacob was in the same room? I wanted to throw my book at Alice.

"Sounds good," Seth said. He pulled the chair beside my bag. Jacob went around and sat across me. I groaned. It would be hard to focus with him in front of me.

"I'll call Leah and tell her we're here," Jacob said and grabbed his phone from his pocket.

"Hey Leah, we're at the Cullens," Jacob said on the phone.

"_What may I ask are you two doing there?"_

"Just congratulating Nessie on her first day of school."

"_Is that all?"_

Jacob stepped out of the library and I didn't hear the rest of the conversation. What was Leah implying when she asked 'Is that all?'? She sounded skeptical. Wait, was she jealous? Oh. My. Goodness. Why didn't I see it before? Of course they were an item; they were always together as far as I could remember. Of all people I would have a crush on; it would be someone who's already dating someone else. I sighed. Alice heard me and gave me a puzzled look. "Too much stuff to do," I lied and put back my earphone. Thank goodness my father already left; the things he could hear from my mind.

After a couple of minutes or so, I saw the door opened from the corner of my eye. I decided not to look up; I knew it was just Jacob who came in after talking to Leah. I continued working on my homework. He sat across me; I still didn't look up. He was drumming his fingers on the table; it was annoying but I just ignored it. He stopped to my relief, but I was surprised when he leaned cross and took my earphones off.

"What?" I snapped at him.

"I've been talking to you," Jacob said as he sat down his chair.

"In case you didn't notice, I can't hear you."

"Figures. I was asking what you're listening to."

"Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Natasha Bedingfield, Katy Perry, all sorts. Why?"

"Just curious," he shrugged. "Esme said the food will be ready in ten minutes and said that Seth and I should just eat here. Leah will be home late so we'll just bring her some food. Meat ravioli, my favorite, how could I resist?"

"Ren knows," Alice said and my eyes widened. I couldn't believe she told Jacob I knew his favorite food. Please someone kill me now.

"And hers is meat loaf and mashed potato," Jacob said as he took out books from bag.

"Is that right?" Alice said as she looked at me with a raised eyebrow. She knew very well that Jacob was right; everyone in my family knew I could finish a whole meat loaf by myself. I was surprised that Jacob knew that about me. Maybe he was paying attention about me as well. Wait, who was I kidding? Of course he knew my favorite; he used to feed me when I was little. I shouldn't hope for more. _He's with Leah_, I reminded myself.

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll be down after I finish this chapter," I said and put back my earphones. I was not halfway through the chapter; it would take me at least twenty minutes to finish the whole chapter even with my half-vampire speed. I hoped that they would just go ahead. I needed to compose myself before I went downstairs. I wouldn't have any homework to focus on once I sat in the dining room.

Ten minutes passed and Seth got up. He tapped my shoulder. I took out one of my earphones. "Let's eat."

"You guys go ahead. I'm almost done here," I said. Seth shrugged and I put back my earphones. I saw Jacob got up and the door closed. I was thankful that he went with Seth. I could give them ten minutes head start so that they would be almost done with their dinner before I got there.

I turned the page of my book and in the corner of my eye, I saw someone standing by the door. I looked up and saw Jacob. I took out my earphone, "I thought you guys went ahead?"

"I told Seth I'll wait for you," he shrugged.

There was no way to avoid the inevitable. I would be eating with him whether I liked it or not. Better do it now while Seth was there, rather than just me and Jacob. I hesitantly turned off my mp3 player, placed it on the table and got up. I looked at Alice and she got up as well. I walked pass Jacob and Alice followed. Jacob closed the door behind us and we went to the dining room where Seth was already halfway through his plate. "Good stuff," he said thumbs up.

I sat down across Seth. This way, Jacob wouldn't have the chance to look at me directly while I ate. Alice sat beside me although she wasn't going to eat. Jacob sat beside Seth, across Alice. Esme put the plate in front of me and Jacob. She added some parmesan cheese on top, "Buon appetito!"

I took a bite of the ravioli, "Granma, this is soooo good!"

"Thanks, Renesmee. So how was school?"

I finished chewing the ravioli I had in my mouth, "It was good. It was different, but good nonetheless. Alice and I had two new friends, Marianne and Sabrina." I shoved some raviolis in my mouth.

"I'm glad you made friends right away." I just nodded since I had a mouthful of ravioli.

"Did you meet any boys?" Seth teased. I choked on the last piece of ravioli I was chewing. Granma ran to the kitchen and handed me a glass of water. Jacob was on my side right away and rubbed my back while I drained the glass. Normally, I would shiver in his touch, but with the ravioli in my throat, his hand was the last thing I could think off.

"Sorry," Seth mumbled.

Jacob glared at him then turned to me, "Are you okay?" I nodded and Granma fetched another glass of water for me. Jacob didn't leave my side. He dragged his plate from the other side of the table and ate beside me; his hand continually rubbed my back. It felt like I died and gone to heaven when I choked, then I remembered, _Leah_. I groaned and lost my appetite. I was in my personal hell.


	23. Payback

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Ren POV)

I woke up the next day with less enthusiasm than yesterday. The first day excitement wore off. I got up and saw Alice already picked out my clothes just like yesterday. I headed to the shower and stayed longer than necessary. I blow dried my hair and fixed it in a pony tail. I put on the clothes that Alice laid out and put on a bit of makeup. I grabbed my school bag and the bag with my change of clothes for PE and headed downstairs. I went directly to the kitchen where mom already had a plate of pancakes waiting for me.

"Good morning, angel," my parents greeted me. I kissed them both on the cheeks, "Good morning."

"How's my favorite granddaughter?" I heard Grandpa said as he popped his head by the door with Granma.

"Grandpa!" I hugged him. With his work schedule, I didn't see Grandpa yesterday. He was already gone when we got home from school and I was probably asleep when he got home. I kissed both my grandparents.

"How's school? I heard that you like it," Grandpa said as he sat across me on the table.

"Yes, I did. Not a fan of catching up but I'm halfway done with it so I should be able to pick up by this weekend," I said as I took a bite of the pancake.

"Good girl! You'll make us all proud," he said and I smiled.

"Where's the others?" I asked when I noticed Uncle Emmett, Rosalie, Uncle Jasper and Alice weren't there.

They looked at each other. "They will be down soon," mom said. _Gross_, I thought. I had seen enough movies and knew what they were up to. My dad cringed, probably because I understood what mom was referring to. I concentrated on eating my food and tried to block off any unwelcome thoughts in my head.

After I finished the pancakes and my orange juice, Alice called out, "Ren, I'll be in the car." I got up and kissed everyone, including Rosalie, Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper, who entered the dining room just a minute ago.

--

Alice parked the car with ease. I got out the car and grabbed my bags from the back seat. Alice whispered, "Stalker." I looked up and saw Ken walking towards the car. "You've got to be kidding me," I groaned.

"Good morning, ladies," he greeted.

"Good morning, Ken," Alice and I said in unison.

"Let me carry your bags for you," Ken volunteered and grabbed the two bags I was holding before I got a chance to swing one over my shoulder.

Even though he only volunteered to carry my bags, Alice handed over hers as well. "Thanks," Alice chimed. I suppressed a laugh. Ken was puzzled and opened his mouth, but decided to just close it.

He followed us to our Algebra classroom where Marianne was already waiting for us. "Have a good day, ladies," he handed our bags before he ran off to his class. Marianne saw the whole thing and was laughing when we sat down.

"He looked like a puppy following his master," Marianne said and continued laughing.

"It's too early for that Marianne," I said and she stopped teasing.

"What happened when your uncle saw your face yesterday?" Marianne asked.

"Oh, uhm, I put my hair down before we entered the house. When I got to my room, I put an extra layer of foundation." It wasn't my 'uncle' I was worried about when I got home.

"Smart."

"That's what I thought, too. I didn't think about it until she'd done it already," Alice said and Miss Cheung entered the room. We went to our seats and listened to the lesson.

--

We only watched a movie in Biology. Although dad taught me a lot of stuff in Biology, we didn't watch any movie so I paid attention. Alice was doodling on her notebook. She must have seen this movie a thousand of times already. In English, we discussed about American authors. In History, we talked about the discovery of America.

Marianne, Alice and I walked together to the cafeteria. Sabrina was already in line for the food. Ken was standing beside her. "Please tell me he's not sitting with us," I whispered to Alice. She closed her eyes for a second then looked at me, "Sorry." I groaned while I walked with Marianne to get a tray. Alice sat on the table we occupied yesterday. Sabrina saw us and I nodded towards where Alice was seated. She went to the table, followed by Ken. Marianne and I grabbed our food. After we paid for the food, I walked behind her and sat on Alice's left side while Marianne sat beside Sabrina.

Ken got up and sat beside me, "Sabrina said you have PE for last period." I nodded. "Cool, we don't have a game today, so I will see you then." I shrugged.

"What did your aunt and uncle said about your face?" Sabrina asked. We didn't get a chance to talk about yesterday's incident in English earlier since we were seated so far apart. Marianne was not the gossip-type.

"It subsided a bit before we got home, then I put foundation just to make sure," I answered sheepishly. I hoped Ken wasn't paying attention to the question. I hoped in vain.

"Why? What happened?" he asked.

"Your friend, Kitty, shot a ball at her when she was talking to Coach Noble. It hit the left side of her face," Sabrina answered. I looked at her in disbelief but she didn't notice. "He sent her to the nurse's office and sent Kitty and Tabitha to detention. I have a feeling they will keep targeting her though."

I felt Ken's gaze on my face; he was sitting on my left side and my face was exposed to him since I had my hair up. Good thing I was distracted with something else or I would have blushed. Alice had a blank face; she was having another vision. I looked around and saw the Kittens entered the cafeteria. Kitty was glaring at me and Ken staring at my face wasn't helping. I guessed that she was planning another attack, thus Alice's vision. Alice snapped out of her daze in a split second and said, "Don't worry about Ren, she's pretty good in volleyball."

I looked at Alice in disbelief. She whispered so low that only I could hear, "Watch out for Kitty and Tabitha. You're playing against them later. You'll be their target. I know you're good. You should show off a bit but just control, okay?" I nodded.

"You are?" Sabrina sounded so excited. "That's so cool. I'm in the varsity team. Coach already had our team picked out, but if you're good enough, like Trish last year, he might let you join the team, even just the JV."

"Oh, uhm, I don't know about joining the team though," I said as I remembered what mom told me.

"That's too bad. Think about it though. It would be nice to have a friend in the team; Marianne refused to play," Sabrina said. I shrugged as I took a bite of my burger.

"And fall on my face? I don't think so. I'll stick to painting, thank you very much," Marianne stuck her tongue and we laughed.

"What's your class after lunch?" Ken asked.

"Spanish," I answered without looking at his direction. Didn't anybody tell him that it was not nice to stare?

"I'll walk you to class," he said.

I turned to him and said, "Marianne and Alice are in the same class; you don't have to walk with me."

"I insist," he said then his expression changed, "Oh man, I cant. I have to talk to Coach Mendel. Maybe tomorrow." _Thank goodness_, I thought. I didn't say anything. I went back to eating my burger.

"I'll just see you later in sixth period," he got up and disposed of the remaining food.

Sabrina rolled her eyes, "What a romantic! I never saw him that taken, not even with Kara. He got it bad." She giggled; Marianne and Alice followed suit. My face felt hot. I was not used to having this kind of attention, especially from a guy. A _very_ cute guy.

--

We broke up in small groups for Spanish. Profesora Flores made us talk to each other in Spanish. It was easy for me and Alice, both of us being fluent with the language, but it was hard for the other members in our group.

The hour quickly passed and the class was over. I grabbed my stuff and I looked at Alice. Just like I did yesterday, I pretended to move her hair from her face. I quickly touched her face, _Yeah, I know, I'll be careful_. She nodded and I went to the gymnasium.

I went straight to the locker room and changed to my PE uniform. Sabrina waited until I was done and we both headed out. Ken was standing by the door, "Hey, Ren, ready to show off your skills?" I didn't say anything.

"Go away, Ken," Sabrina said.

He ignored his sister, "Good luck, Ren. And watch the ball." He winked at me before he walked towards the guys who were playing basketball while Sabrina and I walked towards the volleyball setup.

Coach Noble blew his whistle, "We'll play a proper game today. Junior Varsity versus mixed Varsity and beginners. Kitty, Jean, your teams." Kitty positioned herself followed by Tabitha and the other Kitten girl, Sasha. I didn't recognize the other three girls who went to the court with them.

"Kitty's JV captain. Jean's the Varsity captain," Sabrina said. Cheerleader and volleyball player, I hadn't heard of that.

A redhead who was about two inches taller than me called our attention, "Sabrina, Trish, grab a beginner." Sabrina grabbed me; I was surprised. "Any non-varsity is a beginner in the eyes of Coach Noble. He'll change his mind when he sees you play," she said.

"You haven't even seen me play," I mumbled as I followed her.

"You have long arms and you're tall, that's all I need to see," she winked at me and we got ready to play.

We started playing and Alice was right. Tabitha and Kitty kept on targeting me every time they hit a spike but I was always on my feet. I managed to either block their shots or bump it to the setter. When I got to the hitting position, Sabrina set the ball for me and it was just perfect. I positioned myself and controlled myself before I jumped up to hit it. It landed on Kitty's head and she screamed. Everyone stopped and looked at her. I saw Ken giving me two thumbs up. I stifled a laugh.

"Coach, she did that in purpose!" she exclaimed while rubbing her head.

"You weren't paying attention to the ball. You had been hitting the ball to her but she managed," Coach said while checking her head. "There's no cut, you'll be fine. Sit down. Pam, you're up." He then turned to the guys, "Trevor, get her ice from my office." Trevor, who was also in my Biology class, got up and headed to the boys' locker room. "Okay, there's nothing to see here," he shooed the bystanders.

Kitty glared at me while my teammates gave me high fives. Without Kitty in the court, Tabitha did not attempt to target me anymore. She knew I would hit the ball to her next with one wrong move.

After we won the game, players rotated to give everyone a chance to play. "Alice lied. You're not pretty good," Sabrina said as we headed to the bleachers, "You're varsity quality."

"Forget softball," Coach Noble said behind us, "You should play for my team."

"You mean JV, right?" I asked. I just 'transferred' to this school; he couldn't possibly say that I should go straight to the Varsity team.

"No, I mean the Varsity. With a jump as high as yours and the direction of your ball, you're a natural," Coach Noble beamed.

"I'll have to ask my, uhm, Uncle," I said.

"Do what you need to do. Volleyball season won't start until November, but the sooner you could attend the practices, the better," he said before he walked back to the game.

"I told you," Sabrina said with a smile.

"When did you start playing?" I asked as we continued to watch the game.

"I was in Junior Varsity in freshman year; then bumped up to Varsity by the second year. Jean was Varsity since freshman year. She's been the captain since last year although she was just a Junior. Like you, she's a natural." She looked at Kitty who was holding the ice pack on her head. "Did you intentionally hit her on the head?"

"I was aiming for her face but I didn't flick my wrist enough," I shrugged.

"Payback's a bitch," Sabrina said and we both giggled.


	24. Telepathic

A/N: Hmmm, I didn't get many reviews from the last 2 chapters. I hope you still enjoy reading my story. Please review, good or bad. Believe or not, I get my energy to write from your reviews so keep them coming =D

Also, there are some who said that they are not big fans of Ren POV but please bear with me as her POV is important for the direction of my story. There will be some Bella POV in between the later chapters.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Ren POV)

The rest of the week quickly passed. I finished all the make-up materials for school with the help of my extra speed that I inherited from my vampire father. Our instructors were amazed with Alice and I, although somewhat suspicious if we copied of from each other, especially in Algebra. Since Alice refused to help me with any of my homework, there was no chance that our work would be identical.

After the incident with Kitty last Tuesday, she and Tabitha stopped picking on me during the volleyball games. Coach Noble continued to put us in teams. To avoid any more incidents, he assigned me with the Junior Varsity, but never put me and Kitty at the same time in the court. The last thing any of us wanted was a cat fight in the volleyball court. Not like she would stand a chance against me.

Our PE class did not help the extra glaring I got during lunch. Ken made it worse; he decided to take a permanent seat with us in the cafeteria. He also acted as my personal bag carrier every morning. Marianne and Sabrina constantly teased me about him but I insisted that Ken was just a friend. It's not like he asked for my phone number or anything. But then again, I didn't have any number to give except the home number and the last thing I needed was for my dad to answer the phone and find out about the boy in school who was interested in me. He might pull me out of school before winter break.

--

Coach Noble kept asking if I already talked to my 'uncle' about joining the volleyball team. In all honesty, I really hadn't had a chance to talk to Grandpa since he's usually not home when we arrived from school and we only talked for few minutes or so in the morning while I ate breakfast. But his approval was not the one I needed. I was psyching myself up; I had no idea how to begin asking my parents.

"Talk to him over the weekend and let me know by Monday. It's unfair for the others to wait on you," Coach said after our class on Friday.

"I understand, Coach. I should be able to talk to my uncle this weekend. For the record, I really hope that he'll say yes."

"Good luck for both us then. Let me know first thing Monday morning," he said and I went to the locker room to change.

--

"You really want to do it, don't you?" Alice asked when we got in the car.

"Huh?" I was too lost in thought that I didn't hear if she said anything before that.

"Joining the volleyball team," she enlightened me.

"Yes." I had been thinking how to tell my parents about it, especially my dad; Alice must have seen me ask them. "Do you see anything?"

"No, sorry. Not until you make up your mind."

"Are you going to help me?"

"We'll see what we can do, but no promises," Alice said. I nodded and we drove in silence.

--

I finished my homework that night. I didn't ask my parents yet if I could join the team. I wanted my whole family to be present so that everyone could voice out their opinion. I blocked off my dad from my thoughts by focusing on my reading.

I did not sleep well that night. I was too nervous and preoccupied; I was restless. I needed to get this over with first thing in the morning or I would lose my bearing.

The next day, Saturday, as soon as I finished eating the breakfast mom prepared, I asked everyone to gather in the living room so I could present my case.

"Mom, could you block me from dad?" I asked my mom before I left the dining room.

"Why?" dad asked. I thought he already went with the others.

"I want to tell everyone what I had in mind all at the same time. Please?"

"I don't like you to do this, Bella," dad said to my mom.

"Just until I say what I need to say, dad." I looked at my mom, "As soon as I say what I have in mind, you can stop blocking me from dad." My mom nodded and the three of us joined the others in the other room.

Mom sat beside me in the love seat. Dad sat on the armrest beside mom. Rosalie sat in the middle of the sofa. Uncle Emmett sat on her left and Alice on her right. Uncle Jasper stood beside Alice. Granma sat on the ottoman and Grandpa stood behind her. Uncle Jasper closed his eyes and I stopped fidgeting. He must have sensed my nerves and tried to calm me down.

"What is this about, angel?" mom asked.

I couldn't look at any of them in the eye; I was afraid that I might give up even before I started. I looked at shoes and inhaled, "Before you decide, please hear me out completely." I paused and tried to compose myself; I didn't want my voice to crack, "In my PE class, we are playing volleyball right now and I'm good at it. Really, really good."

"Yeah, so? You're good in any sport," Rosalie said and I looked at her. "Sorry," she apologized for interrupting.

I looked down again and continued, "I'm in control when I play. Even with all the excitement, I never once lost it and hurt anyone. Each of my movement was precise and there's no need to worry about me exposing my true nature. Last Tuesday was my first time to play and Coach Noble was impressed with my skills and he wants me to join the varsity team. He's been asking me since Tuesday and I said I'll have to ask my 'uncle' first." I looked at Grandpa before I continued, "I had been meaning to ask all of you but I don't know what to say. Coach told me yesterday to have an answer by Monday since he won't hold the spot for me any longer since it's unfair for the others who are already practicing." There I said it; I let the cat was out of the bag.

"Good job, Ren!" Rosalie said but my dad snarled at her.

"No!" dad said.

I looked at him. "Why not?" I asked.

"You may have control now, but what if you lose it when you actually compete with other schools? You might get too excited." My face fell when my dad said what he did. Although I said I was in control, it was not enough to convince him to let me play.

"She never had any mishap," Alice said.

"Maybe now, but what about in the future? Incidents in sports are not exactly premeditated, Alice."

"Edward has a point," Grandpa said. I groaned. I was losing my case and I just started.

"The season will not start until November; I still have at least a month of practice. If I can't handle it or lose my control, I'll quit before I hurt anybody," I tried another argument.

"It's better not to put your coach's hopes up, Renesmee. It's unfair to say yes now, then quit later on," dad said.

"But dad," I stopped because mom patted my leg. It was a signal for me not to say anything anymore.

"Angel, just play in your classes. It's safer for everyone," mom said.

I opened my mouth but closed it when I saw my dad looking at me. I wanted to ask Uncle Emmett to help me, but before I could even say anything, my dad already cut me off by just looking at me. We sat in silence, waited for the tension to ease. I felt Uncle Jasper calm waves, but I was too nervy to totally calm down.

_Uncle Emmett, please say something. You're the only one who can help me now. Uncle Emmett, please say something_, I thought to myself.

"I'm thinking, Ren, give me a minute," Uncle Emmett said and we all looked at him, surprised.

"Why did you say that, Emmett?" Granma asked.

"Ren's asking me to say something; I'm still thinking of an argument for her. It's a great opportunity for her. I'm just trying to think of a way to convince Edward," Uncle Emmett said. We were still staring at him. "Why are you staring at me!?"

"She didn't say anything, Em," Uncle Jasper said.

"Are you guys deaf? She said, and I quote, 'Please say something. You're the only one who can help me now. Uncle Emmett, please say something."

"No, she didn't," Rosalie said.

"Yes, she did!" Uncle Emmett argued.

"Did you develop any mind-reading skills that we don't know about?" dad asked.

"What are you talking about?" Uncle Emmett asked, now definitely confused.

"Uncle Emmett, I didn't say anything out loud. I was asking for you to say something in my head," I said. The exact words in my head were 'Uncle Emmett, please say something. You're the only one who can help me now. Uncle Emmett, please say something'."

"No, you said it out loud or else I wouldn't hear it. I'm not a mind reader like your father."

"She didn't say anything!" all of them said in unison, except Grandpa.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed.

"What is?" Granma asked.

"Renesmee. She truly is her parents' child," Grandpa said. I was still confused but I saw my dad's face lit up.

"You really think so, Carlisle?" my dad asked.

"I believe so, Edward."

"Not all of us are mind readers, you know," Rosalie growled.

"Sorry, Rose, I was just truly amazed," Grandpa said.

"Care to share?" Uncle Jasper asked.

"I once said that Renesmee's power is the reverse of Bella's. Instead of shielding, she shares her thought through touch. Now that she's older, she developed it more. She's the reverse of Edward. While he could read other people's thoughts, she could project hers. A true telepathic," Grandpa explained.

"So, let me get this straight. What I heard that Renesmee said was just in my head? I did not hear it through my ears?" Uncle Emmett asked. Grandpa nodded. "Well, I'll be damned!" Uncle Emmett exclaimed.

"My angel is full of surprises," mom said and enveloped me in a hug.

"Now, I'm truly jealous. Aside from the looks, you have a really good power," Rosalie pouted.

"You're still a lot more beautiful than me," I said.

"Yeah, I know," she said and winked at me.

"So modest," Alice teased and we all laughed.

"We should try and see how your power exactly works," Grandpa said. I groaned. When I was younger, I was measured over and over again. I thought I was done with it, but I thought wrong. Now instead of my height being measure, it would be my new found gift.

"Wait!" I said before the real reason of this meeting was held be forgotten, "What about volleyball?" As soon as I said it, I had a feeling that I should have just kept my mouth shut. My dad looked mad and my mom looked concerned.

Uncle Emmett stood up, "Ren said that she had been in control when she's playing in her classes. That is not much different if she plays with other girls for different schools. It's still the same game, still the same adrenaline. Besides, it's not physical contact like football or basketball. She won't be holding anything that she could use to hurt anybody like softball or lacrosse. Her contact is just the ball. She could easily stay out of her teammates way so they wouldn't crash. I could train her here on weekends just to make sure that she won't go overboard."

I looked at my parents. They both looked like in deep thought. "This is as close to normal as she could be, Edward," mom said to dad. I waited for him to respond.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, "Okay, fine, you can play."

I jumped up and hugged Uncle Emmett, "Thank you for your help!" I walked and hugged both my parents, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"On one condition, angel," dad said.

"Of course, dad; there's no such thing as free lunch."

"You'll work with your grandpa in practicing your new power," he said. I sighed. I felt like a guinea pig, laid on a table for experiment. But if that was the price to pay so I could play volleyball, I would be willing to trade.

I turned to Grandpa, "When do we start?"


	25. Training

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Ren POV)

Grandpa was so excited when my dad and I reached an agreement so we started right away. Everyone in the family was happy to volunteer in this little experiment. We switched around our seats in the living room. I sat on the ottoman; my dad stood behind me. Grandpa and Grandma sat with my mom on the love seat. Since my dad could read my mind, he could tell right away if my telepathic skills reached out to my intended 'listener.'

"How should we proceed?" I asked.

"Well, let's see, why don't you try to tell someone something? Don't tell us who, we'll try to figure it out," Grandpa said. I nodded and closed my eyes.

_Mom, can I have meatloaf for lunch?_

I opened my eyes but no one reacted. "Try it again," dad said.

_Mom, how about some meatloaf for lunch? _

"Sorry, Bella, love, you're out. Renesmee's ability is in the mind. Your shield's blocking it," dad said to mom.

"That's too bad," I sadly said.

"It's okay, angel. You could still talk to me by touch," mom said as she walked towards me and kissed the top of my head.

"How about making a meatloaf for our angel here? That's what she's trying to tell you," dad said and mom laughed.

"You have some training to do today so I'll whip up that meatloaf for you." I smiled at her while she walked towards the kitchen. Too bad I couldn't connect through my mom.

"Okay, let's try this again," dad said.

_What's a good side dish for lunch? How about good ol' mashed potato? Granma, what do you think?_

"What do I think, Ren?" Granma asked.

"You didn't hear the first part of her question?" dad asked.

"All I heard was 'what do you think?'"

"Try it again, angel."

_What's a good side dish for lunch? How about good ol' mashed potato? Granma, what do you think?_

"Still the same, I'm afraid," Granma said.

"One more time, Ren. This time call out the name first."

_Granma, what's a good side dish for lunch? How about good ol' mashed potato? _

"Are you hungry already, Ren? You asked your mom for meatloaf then now mashed potato. If I don't know better, I would think you're part wolf," Granma said and everyone laughed.

"Well done, angel," dad said as he patted my shoulder.

"You keep practicing while I lend a hand to you mother," Granma winked at me and proceeded to the kitchen.

"I hope you're done asking for food, Ren. I don't mix well with the kitchen," Rosalie said and everyone laughed once again.

"Don't worry, Rose. I only trust mom and Granma to prepare my food." I closed my eyes again and concentrated.

_Uncle Jasper, your gift is amazing and thank you for calming me down when my nerves were out of control._

"You talk as if you're not family. You don't need to thank me. Your gift is just as amazing as any of ours," Uncle Jasper said with a smile. I smiled back at him.

"What did she say?" Alice asked Uncle Jasper.

"She just thanked me for calming her down earlier when she was nervy and that my ability was amazing." Alice nodded and I closed my eyes again.

_Alice, how about a hand? Help me with my homework and I'll gladly go with you in your little shopping sprees._

"I could easily drag you shopping, Ren."

"It was worth a try."

I inhaled before I focused my mind.

_Uncle Emmett, thanks so much for your help earlier. When do you want to start practicing?_

"Later today when the sun goes down a bit. Better not risk other people seeing sparkling figures playing volleyball," he laughed. "We need to buy the net first."

"Yay!" I celebrated. Dad patted my shoulder.

"That's not until later. We're not done yet." I shrugged and moved on.

_Rose, will you help Uncle Emmett buy the net?_

"Sure, no problem," she answered.

"What did she say?" Alice asked Rosalie.

"She wanted me to go with Emmett when he buys the net."

"Oh, okay. Can I go?" Alice asked. Rosalie nodded. Alice smiled; she enjoyed any chance she could get to go to the mall.

_Uncle Jasper, could you please calm her down?_

Uncle Jasper and my dad chuckled but did not say anything. I focused again.

_Grandpa, what else do you want to test?_

"Truly amazing! Let's see, how about you try to focus on two at a time?" Grandpa said. I nodded. It would take more concentration to do this.

_Uncle Emmett, Rose, what time are you leaving to buy the net?_

There was no reaction. I tried again.

_Uncle Emmett, Rose, what time are you leaving to buy the net? Uncle Emmett, Rose, hello?_

There was still no reaction, not from Uncle Emmett nor from Rosalie.

"I think it only works for one person at a time, Carlisle," dad said. "Much like her touch, it's just directed in one direction. The only difference is that with her touch, she has two outlets, both her hands." Grandpa nodded.

"I wonder if it only works for vampires," Alice asked.

"Good point, Alice. But, how to test it?" Grandpa said and went to deep thought.

"Excellent!" Alice shrieked that made me jump.

"What?" I asked her.

"I can't see," she said with a smile. It was weird to see her smiling when she couldn't see her vision; I thought it was the most irritating thing for her. She hated it every time our werewolf friends visited us.

Then it hit me. Please, not them! Not long after, I heard the door opened. Seth entered the room.

"Good morning and happy weekend," he greeted everyone. I groaned. I wanted to see Jacob but after what I figured out last Monday, I thought it would be better if I didn't see him, especially with…

"Hey, everyone," Leah greeted followed by Jacob. I sighed but smiled. I had to block my mind from my dad so I kept my focus on enjoying the presence of our friends.

"It's been a while," Leah said as she hugged me.

I smiled and hugged her back, "You've been busy." I was sincere. It was not her fault that Jacob liked her and not me. She was still a friend.

"I know, but I should have congratulated you last Monday. I got off work so late; I didn't want to bother you on a school night."

"I'm a half-breed, Leah, I don't need much rest," I said and she smiled. "Mom and Granma are in the kitchen preparing my lunch." She patted my shoulder and headed to the kitchen to join the two best cooks.

Jacob went to my side when Leah left. "How are you, Ness?"

I composed myself, "I'm fine. You?"

"Never been better," he said with his breath-taking smile that I now wanted to tear off his face. That stupid smile was making me feel head over heels for him again and I couldn't. I would never get between him and Leah; both of them were friends of ours.

"What have you been up to?" he asked. Why was he focusing his attention to me? He should either focus his attention to Leah or to everyone as a whole, not just me. His mixed signals and the obvious connection he had with Leah were driving me crazy. I couldn't understand why Alice and my mom said that Jacob had a crush on me when he was obviously with Leah. I wondered if they were just trying not to crush my first experience with love. That was definitely it.

I didn't want to tell him what we were up to. I didn't want him to be a part of my training; I wanted to see less of him so that I could move one. I was about to tell him that I was just doing some regular daily routine when Grandpa answered his inquiry, "We discovered Ren's a telepathic." I groaned.

"Really? Amazing!" Jacob and Seth exclaimed.

"We actually need your help. We need to test it on humans. You're the closest to a normal human that we could test this on. Maybe when on December when we meet up with Charlie," Grandpa trailed off. He cleared his throat and continued, "So, are you up for it?" Both Seth and Jacob nodded. I wanted to say that I was not up for it, but I couldn't bring myself to do so.

"We'll go to the mall and grab some stuff," Rosalie said as she got up with Uncle Emmett and Alice.

"Jazz, are you coming?" Alice asked.

Uncle Jasper followed the three, "We'll see you later."

"Are we playing video games?" Seth asked before the reached the door.

"Not today. If you want, you can play volleyball with us," Uncle Emmett said. Seth had a questioning look on his face. "Just wait for us later," Uncle Emmett said and he closed the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Jacob asked as he and Seth sat on the sofa. Dad sat beside Grandpa.

"Ren's practicing volleyball later, but enough of that for now. We need to train her telepathy," Grandpa said and both our new test-subjects nodded.

"Ready when you are, angel," dad said and I tried to focus. It was not an easy task with Jacob seated in front of me.

_Seth, how's school?_

Seth jumped up, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Jacob asked.

"You'll get your turn Jacob," dad said. "Seth, what's the answer to the question?"

"School's fine. It was a lot different from adult school, but I liked it better. Now, how did you do that?"

"I'm telepathic. I can project my thoughts to you directly without saying a word," I explained.

"That's so cool! How come werewolves don't have cool powers like that?" Seth exclaimed and we laughed. Seth was always expressive.

"Okay, now quiet down so that we could continue," Grandpa said.

_Seth, did you meet any girls yet?_

"Very funny, Ness. If I did, I won't be here." My dad laughed at his answer. Jacob had a confused look on his face but did not say anything. I decided to direct my next thought to him.

_Jacob, how are you and Leah?_

I didn't know why I asked what I did. I knew I wasn't ready for the answer, whatever it would be. My dad looked at me confused, but did not comment.

"We're all fine, Ness. You just saw her," Jacob said. He didn't notice the other meaning behind my question and I didn't want to push it any further.

"Grandpa, Dad, my head is starting to hurt," I said while I rubbed my temples. It was not my head that was hurting, but they didn't need to know that.

"Sorry for pushing you, Ren. You can rest," Grandpa said.

"Good job, angel," dad said and kissed the top of my head. I saw my dad looked at Grandpa. He must have told dad something through his thoughts. "If you'll excuse us, Seth, Jacob." With that, my dad nodded me to go to the kitchen. We were followed by Grandpa.

--

My mom looked up as soon as we entered the kitchen. "How did it go?"

"Good. Now I'm starving." I went to the counter and grabbed an oatmeal raisin cookie.

"Leah, a little family time, please," dad said to Leah and she obliged.

"Ren, we need you to be careful from now on," Grandpa warned. I didn't understand what he meant.

My dad continued what Grandpa was saying, "Your gift must have developed because you have been in deep thought lately and concentrated on a lot of things than you did before. Just make sure you don't accidentally project your thoughts to other people. It was different with your touch because how often do you touch other people's face. We both noticed that you needed to call out to the person you are trying to connect with before you can project your thoughts to; it's better that you not say names in your head."

"I understand, dad, grandpa. Thanks for your help and the warning."

"Too bad I can't hear you in my head," my mom said as she put her arm on my waist. I was so much taller than her now that it was hard to put her arm on my shoulder like she used to. I touched her face.

_Don't worry mom, I can still tell you things through my touch. Besides, there's nothing I don't share with you. And thanks for blocking my thoughts from dad._

"You're welcome, angel. And I do it all the time now, even though he doesn't like it," she nodded to the direction of my dad. We smiled at each other. My mom was the best out there, a shield. It would have been hard to deal with a mind-reader dad especially with everything that ran in my head day in, day out. "Now you better get out of here before you start smelling like food." I kissed both my parents and grandparents before I left the kitchen.

When I reached the living room, Leah was standing behind the sofa where Seth and Jacob were seated while watching TV. "Coast is clear, Leah," I said and went up to my room.

--

A/N: So what do you think of Ren's new power? Please R&R.


	26. Play Ball

A/N: It took longer this time for me to post because writer's block sucks. I was debating on whether to stick to my old plot or totally divert from it. I decided to change some things but the plot will pretty much stay on track.

A lot of comments about Ren and Jacob. You'll have to wait and see what happens between them. I have quite a few things in store for them. Remember that Jacob promised Bella and Edward not to tell Renesemee about the 'soul mate' part of the imprint and it will play a part in the future, I promise.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Ren POV)

I needed to relax. With Jacob and Leah downstairs, it felt like my heart was breaking to tiny pieces. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't show anybody my pain. I should calm myself down. Good thing I inherited musical gene from my dad. He had his piano when he needed to clear his mind; I had my guitar.

I took my guitar from its stand and sat on my bed. I started to strum and closed my eyes. My grandparents said I was so much like my dad; once we got our hands on our instruments, it was like we were in a different universe. I played one of my favorite songs that I learned from Rosalie. It was an old song: You Were Meant for Me by Jewel. At first it was just the tune that I liked but lately, it had been the chorus that I felt I could really relate to. I secretly dedicated this part to Jacob.

_Dreams last for so long even after you're gone  
I know you love me and soon you will see  
You were meant for me and I was meant for you._

I repeated playing after I finished; this time I sang quietly. Even if Jacob was the reason that my mind was in frenzy, it was the song I dedicated to him that helped me relax.

I was so caught up with my singing that I didn't hear the door open. "I didn't know you play."

I almost dropped my precious guitar. Good thing I caught it just in time, "Jacob, you scared me! I almost broke my baby." I inspected the side of my guitar to make sure it didn't hit anything.

"I'm sorry. I was knocking but you didn't answer so I opened the door. I thought it was an old CD playing. You're really good."

I blushed. "Thanks. Rose is a really good teacher." I put my guitar back on the stand. "So what's up?"

"Lunch is ready."

"Thanks. I'll be down in a minute." I pretended to fix my guitar stand even though it was placed just fine.

"I'll wait for you."

_Why can't you just leave me alone?_ I told myself and froze. I almost projected that thought to him. Good thing I didn't say his name in my head. What would he think if he heard that? I really should be more careful.

"Let's go," I said without looking back.

--

"When are you going to learn to cook meatloaf, Leah?" Seth asked as he shoved another mouthful of meatloaf and mashed potato.

"I don't have that much time for cooking lessons right now. I swear if Matt doesn't promote me by the end of this year, I'm leaving that place," Leah replied.

"I can write up the recipe for you if you want," mom volunteered. My mom already taught me how to make her yummy meatloaf but it was still different if she made it herself.

"I want hands on training so I could see how Bella mush the ingredients together with her hands, you know," Leah said and we started laughing.

"You're lucky I washed my hands earlier. I normally don't," mom said and Jacob choked while laughing. Leah, who was seated beside him, handed him water to wash down the food that choked him while she patted his back. I half wished that I sat beside Leah instead of Seth; at least that way, it would be Seth patting Jacob's back and there would be less contact between Leah and Jacob.

_Argh! What is wrong me? Seriously, Renesmee, get a hold of yourself!_ I thought to myself. I seriously needed to get over Jacob. The sooner the better.

--

"We're back," I heard Uncle Emmett's voice boomed from the living room.

"Yay!" I jumped up. My mom glared at me. "Sorry," I said as I sat back down. Jacob snickered and glared at him. "You wanna choke again?" I snapped at him.

"Take it easy, Ness." I rolled my eyes on him.

I readily finished the food and on plate and asked to be excused. I put my dish on the sink and walked towards the back door. Alice and Rosalie caught me before I stepped out. "Renesmee, up to your room."

"But I want to play already!"

"Not in those clothes," Alice said. I looked at what I was wearing; I had a blouse and a pair of jeans with flat shoes.

"What's wrong with these?"

"Not proper 'volleyball' attire. Now, up you go."

I grudgingly went up the stairs with both my aunts. I opened the door and saw three shopping bags; two were from a clothes store and one from the sporting goods. I opened the bags from the clothes store and saw a bunch of t-shirts, tanks, sweats and shorts. "We figured since you'll be in a lot of volleyball practices, you'll need more appropriate playing clothes other than your skinny jeans and girly blouses," Alice said. I hugged both of them.

"You guys are the best!" I squealed.

"Don't jump up and down yet. Open the other bag," Rosalie said. I went back to the bed and opened the last bag. It was a set of knee and elbow pads.

"You're joking," I groaned.

"Emmett's covering all bases. Imagine if you scrape your elbow, your dad will freak," Rosalie said. They knew my dad too well and Uncle Emmett played it safe. I should be thanking him instead of complaining.

"He almost bought a helmet. I told him he's training you for volleyball, not to ride a bike," Alice chimed and we all laughed.

We heard a faint knock on the door. "Come in," I said. It was Leah.

"They're done with the net."

"Yay!" I jumped.

"They warned me that you'll be ecstatic," Leah laughed with Alice and Rosalie.

"You have no idea. I need to change. Do you play? You want to change? I can lend you some clothes," I said without stopping to breathe.

"Calm down, Nessie. I play a little, but I won't be able to play with flip flops. Do you have a pair of sneakers I could borrow? And socks as well?"

"Sure thing." I went to my drawers and grabbed two pairs of sock and tossed a pair to her, "Here. Just grab a pair of shoes that you want from under the bed. I'll see you ladies downstairs," I said as I grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I skipped to the bathroom to change with so much energy. I heard the three of them laugh before the door closed.

--

I saw the two poles holding the volleyball net. It was perfect! I couldn't wait to start playing. I skipped to the court area and hugged Uncle Emmett.

'You're welcome, Ren. Now, why don't you put on your pads so we could start."

I groaned but obliged. "I am pretty indestructible, you know," I said as I put on the last pad on my left knee.

"Try that argument with your dad," Uncle Jasper snickered. I rolled my eyes.

Uncle Emmett fished out something from his pocket; it was a whistle. I started cracking up. "I can't believe he bought a whistle." The others laughed as well.

"He was going to buy a referee uniform but I drew the line with the whistle," Rosalie said and we practically rolled on the ground.

Uncle Emmett blew the whistle. "Uncle Emmett!" I shouted as I put my hands on my ears.

"Sorry, I'm not used to this yet. Anyway, let's play!"

"Is everyone playing?" Seth asked.

"Yup," Grandpa said as he walked with Granma and my parents. All of them were dressed appropriately to play.

"Six on six. Good, full teams. How should we divide this?" Uncle Jasper said.

"Boys versus girls," Jacob said.

"That's unfair. You guys are a lot taller than us," Alice said.

"Yeah, but you have Ren and we have two werewolves," Uncle Emmett said. Jacob and Seth growled at him. "I'm just saying, geez. So anyway, since we are training Ren, try to direct the ball to her as much as possible. But make sure you CONTROL your move." Everyone nodded.

"We got this," Rosalie said and we grouped ourselves to the either side of the court.

"No cheating," Granma shouted as we positioned ourselves and we all laughed. She had always been the disciplinarian especially when we were playing sports.

--

It took us about six balls before the others learned to control their strength. The sales representatives in the store must have been surprised that Uncle Emmett bought a dozen of balls but only one net. If they only knew how many balls vampires would need when playing.

Everyone stayed true to the instruction. I became the target of every incoming ball. Some were harder than the others but I didn't mind. It hurt a little bit and would bruise for sure. It would be gone before Monday so I did not worry myself.

We played for a couple of hours until Grandpa excused himself to get ready for work. We broke up the teams and headed inside. I went upstairs and changed my sweaty shirt and gave Leah one of my new shirts so she could change. Jacob and Seth settled for my dad's and Uncle Emmett's shirts, although they had to put it in the dryer with fabric softener first to take out the vampire stench.

After eating the left over meatloaf for dinner, the pack left. I never had an alone time with Jacob and I was happy about it. I would need to occupy my thoughts with anything but him. Leah had been a good friend to me and I would not betray her by fantasizing over her boyfriend.

--

Sunday passed quickly. We hunted and I read my school books. We were supposed to test the limits of my telepathic ability but the hospital called and asked if Grandpa could come to work. I didn't play volleyball either because some of the bruises on my arms were still a bit visible. My dad was unhappy when he saw my arms but when Grandpa told him that those were just marks and they didn't hurt, he calmed down a bit.

I woke up on a Monday morning with so much energy. I couldn't wait to tell Coach Noble and Sabrina my good news. I jumped to the shower and changed. Alice decided that I was ready to pick my own clothes for school since she already told me the rules: be comfortable but still looking chic. I opened my closet and grabbed a pair of skinny jeans then a pink long sleeve top and a pair of heels. I grabbed my school bag and my PE bag and headed downstairs.

I practically shoved the food in my mouth in so much of a hurry. My mom told me to slow down but I was too excited to do so. I kissed everyone goodbye and rode with Alice to school.

"Take it easy, Ren," Alice said when she was parking the car. I was fidgeting the whole time.

"I'm too excited to talk to Coach Noble. Are you coming with me?" I asked.

"Sure. Besides, I don't want to be cornered by 'bag carrier' if he saw me without you," Alice snickered and I laughed with her.

--

We entered the gymnasium and headed towards the locker rooms. Coach Noble's office was in between the two locker rooms. I lightly knocked on his door.

"Come in."

"Good morning, Coach," I greeted him.

"Cullen! So what's the verdict?" he asked.

"It's a go," I answered with a smile.

He got up and extended his hand, "Welcome to the Varsity Team." We shook hands. He just then noticed Alice behind me. I was towering over her that he could easily overlook her. "I heard you're attending the school with your cousin, is that her?"

Alice stepped forward and extended her hand, "Alice Brandon, sir."

"Nice to meet you, Alice. You don't happen to play any sport, do you?"

"I'm afraid not. Too short," she said with a smile.

"There's no height limit in anything if you put your mind on it," he said. He then turned to me, "I'll see you this afternoon. Stay after class so I could formally introduce you to your teammates." I nodded and we closed the door behind us.

"There's no height limit in anything," Alice mimicked Coach Noble, "Try telling that to those kids who can't ride the roller coaster 'cause they're not tall enough." We laughed all the way to our Algebra class.


	27. Nessie

A/N: I think there is some confusion regarding the imprinting of Jacob on Renesmee. Ren knows that she's Jacob's imprint, but she doesn't know the about the 'soul mate' part of it. All she knows is that Jacob will always be there for her, that they have a strong connection. See Chapter 15 (Homeschooled) and Chapter 16 (Growth Spurt) for clarification.

Since Ren doesn't know that she's Jacob's soul mate, she automatically assumed that Leah and Jacob is an item since they are always together.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Ren POV)

I decided to wait until English class before I told Marianne the good news. I wanted to tell her the same time as Sabrina since Sabrina was in the team. I told her not to say anything to anybody since Coach Noble wanted to make the announcement himself.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me earlier! That's so cool," Marianne exclaimed.

"This is great! I'm glad your uncle let you play," Sabrina squealed.

"Took a lot of convincing," Alice said.

"We'll talk about it more at lunch. Wait, scratch that. I don't want Kitty to hear," I said. Mr. Thomas entered the room so Alice and I grudgingly proceeded to our seats.

--

Just like last week, Ken was already seated on our table with Sabrina. Alice sat with them while Marianne and I grabbed our food. I grabbed a slice of pizza and a bottle of lemon-lime soda. I followed Marianne to pay for the food and we sat on our side of the table.

"How was your weekend?" Ken asked.

"It was good," I said looking at Sabrina who was smiling.

"I didn't see you this morning," he said. I couldn't tell him that I went to Coach Noble's office because he might ask for more details and I didn't want the Kittens hearing over our conversation.

"We had something to take care of before we went to class," Alice said. Ken shrugged and took a bite of his burger.

We were chattering about our weekend when Kitty approached our table. I heard Kara trying to stop her sister, but Kitty wouldn't. "Ken, why do you keep sitting with these people?"

"Excuse me?" Alice snapped at her.

"I wasn't talking to you," Kitty rolled her eyes on Alice. I was about to react on her defense when Ken got up.

"I sit and eat with who I want, Kitty." He turned to us, "Now, if you'll excuse me ladies, I need to see Coach Mendel." He then focused on me, "I'll see you later." He grabbed his tray and left our table.

"Argh!" Kitty exhaled and proceeded to their table. We rolled our eyes at each other and laughed at the same time.

--

I practically ran to the gymnasium. I was too ecstatic for the PE class to be over so that Coach Noble could make the announcement. Although he already welcomed me to the team, I wanted to hear it announced. It would be my proof that I wasn't dreaming.

"Kitty, Jean, your teams," Coach called out.

"Sabrina, Trish, Paige, Nancy, Ren," Jean called out. Paige and Nancy were both beginners.

"You can't pick Ren," Coach told Jean and she gave me two thumbs up. She must have figured it out why Coach said she can't pick me.

"Mae, you're up," Jean called on of the other beginner.

After the whole game, we rotated and I was in with two other varsity players, April and Denise. I saw Kitty whispering something to Tabitha but there was too much noise inside the gymnasium so I couldn't hear it.

After the class, Coach Noble told the Varsity players to stay for an announcement. Kitty glared at me when I didn't head back to the locker room to change. We waited a couple of minutes for the other players of the Varsity team.

"Jean, I supposed you figured it out, you have a new player," Coach Noble said.

"Sure did, Coach. Ladies, this is Ren Cullen. Good hitter and one hell of a blocker," Jean said and the others laughed. "Welcome to the team," they all said.

"Thanks," I said with a big smile plastered on my face.

"Practices are Tuesday through Thursday, from 4:00pm to 7:00 pm. If you can't attend a practice, you have to let me know in advance or I won't let you play for three games. Discipline," Coach Noble explained. I nodded and he continued, "I'll have to switch everyone around. You're tall; I could really use you as a blocker. Gail could use as much help as she could get; isn't that right, Gail?"

The tallest girl in the crowd nodded her head, "Got that right, coach."

"I take it that you'll fill her in?" Coach asked Sabrina.

"Will do, coach," she answered.

"That's all ladies. See you tomorrow in practice."

Everyone in the team, eleven in total, patted me on the shoulder and shook my hand: Jean, Sabrina, Trish, April and Denise, who were in my PE class; Gail, the tall girl that Coach referred to earlier; Cecilia, Cassie, Robyn, Amanda and Wren, who I just met for the firs time today.

"We have a problem, Jean," Gail said. We looked at her; she pointed to me and Wren. I was confused; how was I a problem when earlier I felt that the team welcomed me? Gail clarified her point, "Their names sound alike. Unless you can avoid putting them in at the same time, we need to change her name," Gail nodded towards me.

"Good point, Gail," Jean said then she turned to me, "Sorry, Ren, you're the newbie. You gotta change your name or something. What's your middle name? Maybe we'll use that instead."

Why did I have a feeling that this was coming? I was bound to be Nessie even when I tried to be Ren. Some things were just meant to be. "You can call me Nessie instead, it's my other nickname." I saw the confused look among the other player. Only Sabrina knew my whole first name and even she was having a hard time pronouncing it. "My whole name's Renesmee." My new teammates nodded in understanding.

"Well, then, that's settled. From now on, we're calling you Nessie," Jean said and dismissed the teams.

After I changed to my regular clothes, I met up with Alice in the parking lot. The other girls waved at me, "See you tomorrow, Nessie!"

"Nessie?" Alice asked.

"There's a Wren in the team. It'll be confusing since our names sounds alike. Since I'm the newbie, I had to change my name," I explained.

Alice shrugged and asked, "So, how was the meeting?"

"There are a total of eleven players, well twelve now since I came on board. I'll start practicing tomorrow at 4:00. I guess you can just leave and pick me up at 7." I put my bags on the passenger seat at the back.

"Can I watch? Better way to keep an eye on you, too. I'm sure Edward will like that idea."

"I don't know. We can ask Sabrina tomorrow."

--

"How did it go?" mom asked when Alice I arrived home.

"Went great! Coach Noble was ecstatic and I met the whole team. Practices are Tuesday through Thursday from 4:00 to 7:00."

"Just make sure you'll still enough time to study," dad said.

"I know, dad. I promise I'll work harder so I could jungle both volleyball and my classes."

"Good to hear that, Ren," he said as he patted my shoulder.

"It's back to Nessie again," Alice chimed.

"Why is that?" mom asked. She never liked my other nickname.

"I know how you hated that name, mom, but there's a Wren in the team; I had to pick another name so there's no confusion," I explained.

"Well, it was good to hear people calling you 'Ren' while it lasted."

--

The next day couldn't come sooner. Alice was allowed to watch the practices as long as she stayed in the higher seats on the bleachers. Coach Noble didn't want any interference during the practices.

Kitty wasn't happy about the fact that I made it directly to the Varsity team. Sabrina said that Coach Noble was scouting from the JV and was glad that I transferred to Hanover High. The JV team was not as promising and Coach Noble was worried that his precious Varsity team would not have good players like he had in the past.

During the practice, I could have sworn that the JV made a pact to make me work on my first volleyball practice. Every time I was on the court, they would target the ball to me. It was easy for me; I trained with werewolves and vampires. Their shots were nothing compared to what I got from Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper during the weekend. The worst was when Kitty tried to hit me again when I wasn't looking. I blocked it in time. Coach Noble took Kitty out of the court and reminded her about sportsmanship.

_You better watch it, Kitty. You better watch it. _I thought to myself while I was huddled with my teammates. I stiffened when I realized what just happened. I accidentally projected my thoughts to her. I heard her gasped and turned around.

"Is that a threat?" Kitty said.

_Don't look, Renesmee, don't look!_ I told myself.

"What's wrong, Kitty?" I heard Tabitha asked.

I could still feel Kitty's stare behind my back but did not dare look back.

"Nothing. I thought I heard something," Kitty said and she huddled with her teammates.

--

"That was close," Alice said when we got to the car. I looked at her, puzzled. "Kitty. I didn't see it coming because it was sudden, but I knew exactly what happened when she reacted," she said and I understood what she meant.

"I know. I just got so pissed that I threatened her in my head. I'll be careful next time. Please don't tell anyone," I pleaded.

"My mouth's shut. Just watch it, okay? Don't let emotions affect your mind too much. You don't want another incident like that," Alice warned. I simply nodded.

--

The rest of the week quickly passed. I busied myself with schoolwork and volleyball practice again on Thursday. It took a toll in my body; I was not used to having to exert so much energy and my body needed to have longer rest. The weekend couldn't come any sooner.

When Saturday morning came, it was another training day with Grandpa.

"Are you ready for your training?" Grandpa greeted me while I was shoving French toast on my mouth. I gave him two thumbs up while I chew the food in my mouth.

_Grandpa, what are we going to try today?_

"Impressive, truly impressive. Well, we are going to try you project your thoughts while the other person is in the other room."

_Grandpa, that sounds good. Let me just finish eating. Who's our lab rat for that?_

"If you call them that, no one will volunteer to help you," dad said as he entered the kitchen.

_Good Morning, dad._

"We could ask Rosalie. Emmett and Jasper are busy with the video game. They've been at it since last night," Grandpa said.

_Grandpa, that sounds good to me. Do you want to ask her or should I?_

"I'll ask her. You finish your meal." Grandpa left and I heard him call Rosalie.

"Are you practicing volleyball with Emmett later?" dad asked.

I drank my hot cocoa before I answered, "Just serving dad. Most of my serves barely made it in the court. Coach Noble said I should learn to aim my serves."

"Good. I don't want you having so much bruise again," dad reminded me of how my arm looked from last week during our first practice.

--

My dad and I went upstairs to the library where Grandpa and Rosalie were waiting.

"We're here," I greeted them.

"Rosalie, why don't you stay in here; I'll stand by the door with Edward. Ren will stay on the hallway. We'll keep the door open so that Ren could hear your response." Rosalie and I nodded and I stepped outside.

I looked at my nails as I project my thoughts to Rosalie.

_Rosalie, what do you want to talk about?_

She did not have any reaction and I got worried. Did I lose my gift?

"Don't' worry yourself, angel. You just need to focus. Try again," dad advised.

I dropped my hand and closed my eyes to focus.

_Rosalie, what do you want to talk about?_

I was relieved when she answered, "I don't know; why don't you pick a topic?"

_Rosalie, I asked you first. You pick a topic._

"I'm older so I decided that you will pick a topic."

_Rosalie, we can go on and on without a topic. You noticed?_

Rosalie laughed, "I guess you're right, Ren. But seriously, pick a topic."

_Rosalie, I heard a song called Broken Strings. Have you heard it?_

"I don't sleep; I heard all the music out there. It's the one by James Morrison, right?

_Rosalie, that's the one; he sang it with Nelly Furtado. Do you know the chords? Teach me!_

"Let's check online for the chords later."

_Rosalie, you are the best music teacher ever!_

"You do know I can hear your thoughts, right?" dad said and both Rosalie and I laughed.

"Awww, I think you're dad's jealous," Rosalie teased.

"What's going on?" Grandpa asked.

"It's nothing, Grandpa. I just said that Rosalie is the best music teacher ever and dad got jealous."

Grandpa laughed, "Don't worry about it, Ren. He'll get over it."

"Can we go on with the lesson, please?" dad said.

"Ren, why don't you go inside your room and leave the door open? Ask Rosalie simple questions. Edward and I will stand here in the hallway and see if the answers match," Grandpa instructed. I walked towards my room and sat on my bed.

_Rosalie, what is 1+1?_

I heard my dad snickered.

"Very funny, Ren," I heard Rosalie shout from the other room. "What a good way to insult your math teacher!"

Dad and I doubled our laughter. Grandpa popped at my room, "What did you asked her?"

"What is 1+1?" I said while laughing.

"No wonder she's pissed," Grandpa said. "Let's go on."

_Rosalie, how many times do I hunt in a week?_

"One," Rosalie shouted.

_Rosalie, what is my favorite food?_

"Meatloaf with mash potato."

_Rosalie, what are you getting for me for Christmas?_

"Nice try, Ren. And besides, Christmas is at least two months away."

Rosalie and I kept going on and on with topics from school, music, sports and clothing. We were at it for more than thirty minutes and my head was starting to hurt.

_Grandpa, are we done or do we have to keep going? My head is starting to hurt._

"I think we're done for now. Next week, we'll have to try farther distance. We'll have to do it outside."

"Sounds good to me," I said. "Rose, let's check out the chords for Broken Strings online before Uncle Emmett drags me out for the volleyball practice." I called out.


	28. Driving Lessons

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

The days quickly passed. When the second week of October came, Coach Noble added practices on Saturdays. I had been busy with school work and volleyball practices that I sometimes didn't have enough time to train with Grandpa, even on Sundays. Dad was not happy since we agreed that I would train in exchange of my playing privileges but with my tight schedule in school, my weekends were packed.

Whenever possible, Grandpa snuck in some practice sessions, even for just an hour or two. We've worked on distance; I could project my thoughts almost as far as dad's mind reading. It took a lot of practice and headache before I could extend my projection that far. Grandpa wanted for me to try to project longer thoughts, more than three sentences at a time, but it was getting harder for me. One time I actually passed out, not one of my better moments, so dad said that we would take it slow from then on.

I was extremely happy with my busy schedule. I barely had time for myself, much more to think of other things. I was usually in my room or in the library; I would only go to the kitchen to eat. There were times that the pack came to visit but I was too buried with my schoolwork that I didn't have enough time to spare. It also gave me less time to dwell on Jacob. I was glad that I was slowly easing up my mind from thinking of him during the day. All I needed was to ease up my mind at night in my sleep since my dreams were still full of him.

--

We didn't have a problem about the weather since it was fall and we were indoors. The first problem occurred when I had a Saturday volleyball practice and it was a sunny weekend. There was a rare heat wave so my family couldn't hide under jackets and pants all day. None of them could go out without catching anyone's attention because of their sparkling skin under direct sunlight.

"You should have taught me how to drive so we wouldn't have this problem," I pouted.

"Pouting won't help, Ness," Alice said.

"How am I supposed to go to the practice?" I asked.

Just then, dad appeared with phone in hand. "He'll be here in a minute. He'll keep you company since we can't."

"Who?" I asked.

The front door opened, "Good morning, Cullens!" Jacob announced.

I groaned. I had been successful in avoiding him for the past weeks or never had to deal with him by myself. Now, we would be trapped in the same car for at least fifteen minutes on the way to school.

"Jacob will go with you," dad said.

"And how am I supposed to go home?"

"I'll wait for you," Jacob answered as if it was so obvious. My mouth hung open. They have to be kidding. I was to deal with him for at least half a day? "I had my books for school so I could study while you're playing. No time wasted," he said with a wink.

I looked around my family and it didn't look like any one would come to my rescue. "Fine, let's go," I stomped my feet and walked outside.

Jacob stayed inside for a minute or two while I was waiting for him in the jeep. "Took you long enough," I grunted when he finally got in the jeep.

"They had last minute instructions," Jacob said with a smile.

"And what would that be?"

"Take care of you and feed you lunch."

"Where's Seth?"

"At home. He's finishing some computer stuff. It's just me and you today," he winked before backing up. This was going to be a long day.

--

When we got to school, he helped me out with my bag. "I had been carrying this bag every practice, Jake, no need to help me."

He yanked the bag from my hand, "I insist. Where to?"

I rolled my eyes at him and walked towards the gymnasium. Kitty glared at me when I entered, more glaring than usual since I had a tall, dark and handsome guy right behind me carrying my bag. Sabrina saw me and raised her eyebrow. I could care less about Kitty, but with Sabrina, I had to say something. Sabrina walked towards the door to greet me, practically gawking at Jacob.

"Great, now I would have to answer her inquiries about you," I hissed at Jacob.

"Just tell her I'm your boyfriend," Jacob said and laughed.

"And what would Leah think about that?" I snapped at him.

"Oh, I think she'll find it rather funny." I growled at him and he stopped laughing.

"Good morning, Nessie," Sabrina greeted and turned to Jacob, "I've never seen you before."

"Hey, Sabrina, this is Jacob, family friend. Jacob, this is Sabrina, my friend, classmate and one of the team setters," I introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Jacob extended his hand and Sabrina shook it.

I grabbed my bag from Jacob, "Sit up there. Coach wants the spectators as far away from the court as possible."

"Yes, ma'am," Jacob bowed his head and went up the bleachers.

Sabrina giggled, "His hand's warm, I like it. He's a hottie and he doesn't look like he's just a 'family friend.' Too bad Ken's not here to size up the competition. Really size up; he's at least a foot taller than you and you're pretty tall yourself."

"Very funny, Sabrina. He's not competition; he's already taken," I sighed.

"You looked bummed about it," she teased. I just looked at her, hoping she would drop it.

She shrugged, "I can't wait to tell Marianne." She skipped towards the lockers and I groaned before I followed her.

--

The team headed out all together after we changed from our sweaty clothes. I walked at the back with Jacob on my tail. The girls kept glancing at us and giggling. They were whispering how good we looked together, not knowing that I could actually hear them with my vampire hearing.

When we got to the parking lot, all of them waved at us, "Bye, Nessie. Jacob, make sure you bring her straight home," they all teased and I groaned. This was exactly the reason why I didn't want him to go with me. I would surely hear something about it next practice and from Sabrina on Monday. Jacob, on the other hand, was all smiles and waved at them that made them giggle some more.

"It's almost lunch time," he said when we exited the parking lot, "where do you want to eat?"

"No preference," I simply answered.

"You like Mexican?"

"It's okay."

"Mexican it is." He drove us to an authentic Mexican Restaurant.

We sat across each other and I noticed that he kept peeking through his menu.

_Jacob, stop that._

"What?" he asked.

"Stop using your menu for peek-a-boo."

"Party pooper," he teased and I rolled my eyes at him.

The waiter came to our table and took our orders. While waiting, we munched on the chips. "After we eat, we're going to drive around," he said in between crunches.

"Dad will have your head in a plate if you don't bring me straight home after lunch," I said.

"No, he won't. He told me to teach you how to drive."

My eyes opened wide. "No way!" I exclaimed.

"Yes way and you might want to be careful with your eyes; you don't want them to pop out," he teased.

I stuck my tongue out.

"With that attitude, I might change my mind," he scowled.

"Sorry. I'll be nice. So, you're really going to teach me?"

"We have the rest of the day to practice driving. Your dad hates asking favors," he chuckled and I laughed in agreement.

--

After lunch, we drove to a small neighborhood with few houses.

"What are we doing out of nowhere?" I asked.

"Driving lessons. I am not going to risk you learning how to drive in a place with a lot of cars and a lot of people. Safety first," Jacob answered.

He taught me the hand signals and showed me the parts of the car. He demonstrated how to drive around, back up, parallel park and do a three-point turn. After thirty minutes of demonstration and lecture, it was my turn to take the wheel.

He looked hesitant when he handed me the keys. "Now, Nessie, I want you to take it easy. I know that these all feel exciting and all but I want you to take your time."

"Jake, I got it, don't worry!" I took the keys from him and started the engine. It was so exciting to finally be on the driver's side of the car. I put the gear to Drive and let go of the break. "We're moving, we're moving," I squealed.

"Yeah, I see that. Hands on the wheel, Nessie. Easy on the gas pedal," he instructed.

I lightly stepped on the gas and we moved forward, "This is so easy."

He chuckled, "Just make sure you watch the road."

I kept on driving around and he instructed me where to turn. It was not as smooth as his driving since from time to time, I would step on the break hard and the seat belts tightened.

"Easy on the breaks. You have to put your foot lightly or we would have seat belt marks by the end of the day," Jacob said and we both laughed.

"How much practice do you think it'll take before I get this right?" I asked him.

"Well, you're driving slower than the speed limit right now, but you're getting the hang of it. I would say a few more hours of driving sessions and you'll be zooming. How about I teach you after school for a couple of hours when you don't have volleyball practice?"

"That sounds great, Jake. Thanks!"

"No problem, Ness. Just keep your eyes on the road and hands on 10-2."

We drove around for an hour and when I was getting the hang of it, Jacob said that I could probably speed up a little more. "Add a little more pressure on the gas to speed up a little bit," he instructed. I got excited with the thought of speeding up a bit that I pressed down the gas pedal and we zoomed fast. I lost control of the wheel and let go.

"Break, Ness, BREAK!" Jacob exclaimed as he grabbed the wheel to steer us away from any object on the road. I panicked; I slammed on the break and we almost flew off the windshield.

"I said easy on the gas pedal, Ness! Not because we're indestructible, it means that we won't get hurt in the process," Jacob yelled as he changed the gear to Park. He took a minute to ease up his breathing.

My body froze on the wheel. I bowed my head when I felt tears falling from my eyes. I tried to ease up my tears, but my eyes wouldn't let me. I tried to hide my sniff, but Jacob heard me.

"My goodness, I'm so sorry, Ness. I didn't mean to yell at you. I was just worried that you'll get hurt," Jacob turned off the engine and hugged me. "I'm sorry. Do you want to go home now?"

I didn't speak; I just kept my head down. He got off the car and went to my side. He carried me off the driver's seat and put me on the passenger's side. We were silent on the way home.

--

I went straight to my room without a word to anyone when we got home. I plopped on my bed, stomach down. I heard my dad scowled at Jacob.

"What happened? Why is she crying?"

"Sorry, Edward, I kind of raised my voice at her," Jacob said, his voice defeated.

"You did what?" Rosalie shrieked.

"The nerve you have mutt!" Uncle Jasper growled.

_Rosalie, it was my fault. He told me to take it easy on the gas; I floored it. I panicked when he told me to break so I slammed on the break and lucky for us, we were wearing seatbelts._

_Uncle Jasper, it's not his fault._

"Look, I didn't mean to yell at her. I panicked when she sped up. She was losing control," Jacob said.

"I know; I heard," dad said. He must have been listening in. "I think it's better that we continue the driving lessons with her, instead of you." Nobody spoke after that. I heard the front door opened and closed. He must have left.

After a few minutes, I heard a light knock on the door. It must be mom to console me.

"Come in," I mumbled on the bed.

I felt the side of the bed shifted; it felt heavier than mom.

"I'm sorry for raising my voice, Ness. It was totally uncalled for," Jacob spoke. My body stiffened

"I thought you left."

"I couldn't leave until I know that you're not mad at me anymore," he said.

"I'm not mad at you, Jake," I said without lifting my face from the bed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's my fault, too. You better leave before I change my mind," I chuckled.

I felt the bed shift some more and I felt him move hair from my face. "I'll see you around, then," he said with a smile.

I smiled back at him and he got up to leave. I sighed when he closed my bedroom door. Weeks of thinking about anything but him would end up wasted as the concern in his eyes bore to my soul. Back to square one.

--

A/N: For those who wanted more Jacob, here you go. I've already thought about giving him more exposure since the later part of this story is about him and Nessie. It seemed like you readers could read my mind.

For those who are concern with Leah, I have something in store for her. The summary of this story was possible spin-off/s and I already had **Embry's Imprint** as my first. If things go well, another spin off should be on its way in the making.

As always, please don't forget to review.


	29. Jacob

A/N: By popular demand…

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

When Monday morning came, I knew I had to prepare myself for an endless teasing from Sabrina. I wondered if she already told Marianne about it. I hoped not. Teasing was not how I wanted my week started.

As expected, Ken was waiting for us to arrive and escorted as to class. Marianne did not say a word in Algebra even though I was certain that Sabrina had spilled the beans by now. It was not until English class when I saw Marianne giggling with Sabrina.

"Tsk, tsk, Ness, I can't believe you didn't share some juicy gossip. I was waiting for you to say something since Algebra but you acted as if there's nothing to tell," Marianne said.

"Whatever you heard, Marianne, I'm sure it was passed on by mistake," I said as I looked at Sabrina.

"I assure you, Marianne, there was no mistake how hot Jacob was," Sabrina giggled. To my rescue, Mr. Thomas entered the classroom and Alice and I had to proceed to our seats on the far side of the classroom.

--

As soon as the bell rang after English, Marianne hurried to my side. "I want to hear the details from you since Sabrina was just babbling on how hot he was. I want to know the real details."

"Marianne, there's nothing to tell, seriously. Jake went with me to the practice since he hasn't seen me play for while," I explained.

"Is that right, Alice?"

"Why don't we save the gossip for lunch? I think it's unfair for you to get some scoop without Sabrina," Alice said and I glared at her. She was supposed to clear up the issue, not put me deeper in the hole.

--

For the first time, I was dreading for lunch. Marianne practically dragged me to the cafeteria to meet up with Sabrina and hear what really happened during the weekend. I tried to take my time in choosing what to eat, but Marianne had something else in mind. She grabbed a slice of pizza and a cola and put it on my tray. "My treat," she said and pushed me towards the cashier.

There was no way to avoid the inevitable so I sat on our lunch table.

"Spill," Marianne said as soon as she sat across me.

"Why don't you tell me what you told her, Sabrina?" I said.

"Well, I told Marianne that you went to practice last Saturday with a hottie; tall, dark and handsome. Oh and the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off you the whole time," Sabrina giggled.

I was about to react on what Sabrina said but Ken beat me to it. "Who is she talking about?" Ken asked me.

"He's name is Jacob, a family friend."

"He sure looks like more than a friend to me," Sabrina said.

"Really? What made you ladies think otherwise?" Marianne reacted.

"He was seated on the bleachers with a book open but I don't think he ever turned a page. He was following Nessie with his eyes, never letting her out of her sight. It was the cutest thing ever," Sabrina answered then turned to her brother, "You should have been there and sized up the competition. You guys are opposite; you're blond and kinda lanky; he's dark hair, dark skinned, bulky in a really, really good way. H-O-T, hot!"

I playfully tossed a napkin to Sabrina. She was puzzled. "Girl, you're practically drooling," I said and the girls in our table laughed. Ken was not pleased.

"So, Alice," Sabrina said, "Is it true that Jacob's taken?"

Alice smiled, "Technically, he is."

"That's too bad," Sabrina said, totally disappointed.

"Do you want me to tell Marc that you're interested on another guy?" Ken asked but it sounded more like a threat. Sabrina had been dating Marc since Freshman year, but him being two years older, he was already off to college.

"I can't help it if he's an eye candy; just appreciating the package. Besides I told him about Jacob last Saturday; he's cool about," Sabrina stuck her tongue at Keith.

"I gotta meet this guy! I knew I should watch your practices more," Marianne said, totally disappointed.

"Maybe you can bring him next Saturday," Sabrina suggested.

"Not gonna happen," I answered curtly.

"Why not?" Marianne asked.

"He just went with Nessie because I wasn't feeling well last Saturday. It was just a favor," Alice answered.

_Alice, thanks for the rescue._

"That sucks," Marianne grunted.

--

The rest of the day passed quicker than the first half. In PE, some of the Varsity players who were in the same class asked about Jacob and teased me like Sabrina did. Much like her, all of them thought that there was something more than friendship between me and Jacob. I wished there was.

Alice was already in the parking lot when I came out from the gymnasium. Jean, April and Sabrina were walking with me. "Say hi to Jacob for me," April teased and the other two girls laughed.

"I will if I see him," I said. Alice tossed me the keys so that I could drive home. We spent the whole day yesterday after hunting driving around until I perfected it.

When we were safely backed up, Alice turned to me, "Did you really tell them that Jacob was taken?"

"Yeah, I was just telling them the truth," I answered.

"Well, I never took you as the possessive kind. Maybe Rosalie rubbed on you," she said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked as I tried to concentrate on the road. I didn't understand what Alice was implying.

"Telling those girls that Jacob's taken; technically, he is taken. I mean the guy is definitely smitten by you."

"What are you talking about? Jacob is taken; he's with Leah, like you don't even notice."

Alice started cracking up in the car. She was hysterically laughing that she could not put her words together, "Oh…my…good…ness…You…you thought…Jacob is with…Leah?"

"It's not funny, Alice. They are always together," I snapped at her.

"Oh, this is too good. I have to call Rose and Bella," she couldn't stop laughing. She pulled out her cell phone.

"Why do you need to talk to mom and Rose?" I asked.

She just held her hand up. I heard her call answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Bella, it's Alice. Listen, we're about ten minutes away and I have something I want to tell you and Rose. Make sure you block us from that husband of yours. This is just for the girls only. Trust me."

"_Whatever you say, Alice."_

"Just wait for us in Nessie's room."

"_Okay, see you in a few."_

Alice turned off her phone and started humming.

"You're not going to tell me what that was about, are you?"

"Nope," she answered.

"You are so unfair," I pouted.

She just ignored me the rest of the way.

--

"Why did Bella and Rose rush to your room?" dad asked as soon as I entered the house.

"I don't know. It was Alice's idea," I answered as Alice pulled me up the stairs.

"Stay out of this, guys. Girl stuff," Alice said as she shut the door behind us.

Mom and Rosalie were waiting for us, seated on my bed. "What's so important, Alice?" Rosalie asked.

"Shhh, keep your voice down. The boys are probably eavesdropping right now," Alice said.

"Well, what is this about?" mom whispered.

"Tell them what we were talking about in the car, Ness," Alice said.

"What part?" I asked.

"All of it," Alice answered.

"I don't see why this is necessary, Alice," I said but she just glared at me. She wouldn't let me drop the topic. "Fine," I huffed. "Jacob caused quite a steer with the volleyball team. Apparently, we look good together; our friend, Sabrina, won't shut up about it. I told her that Jacob's already taken. Alice said I'm possessive which I actually don't understand why."

Alice interrupted my story-telling, "Nessie here asked me what I meant when I said she's possessive and I said technically Jacob is taken since he's love-struck with her. Then, get this, she said that Jacob with Leah."

It was silence. Rosalie, Alice and mom looked at each other and started cracking up. They rolled on the floor and held on the stomachs. I knew they were overacting since their stomachs didn't hurt from laughing. "I don't understand why you all think this is funny!" I shrieked.

"I'm sorry, angel, it's just that…who told you that their together?" mom asked.

"Nobody, I noticed it myself. They are always together. Jacob sometimes goes here without Leah because she's working, but Leah never goes here without him," I explained.

"Aren't you glad I shared this information with you?" Alice said in between laughs.

"Bless you, Alice," Rosalie said as she tried to calm herself down.

"So, does this mean I'm wrong?" I asked with new hopes. I had always assumed that Leah and Jacob were together, but with my aunts and mom's reaction, I was probably wrong.

"Angel, Jacob and Leah are always together because they're a pack. They watch out for each other. Besides, Leah is Jacob's Beta, so to speak," mom explained. "Didn't I tell you that Jacob likes you?" I nodded. "Why would I say that if he's with Leah?"

"I don't know. Now that you put it that way," I shrugged.

"You're so caught up with your own feelings that you don't even notice the way he looks at you," Rosalie said.

"Why isn't he saying anything then?" I asked.

"Well, technically, you're just three years old so maybe he's giving you more time," mom said.

"Don't worry, Nessie, time will come. You're his impr…" Alice cut her statement short. I didn't notice what made her cut her sentence, then she continued, "What I meant is that you're important to him and if he's the one who'll make you happy, then time will let it happen."

I laughed, "Yeah, sure. I have time."

"Yes, you do. For the mean time, I want you to concentrate on your studies first, okay, angel?" mom said as she hugged me.

"I know, mom. Thanks for clearing that up. I was so sure they were together before, but now, well, I guess that will tell," I smiled and kissed the three of them on the cheeks.

"Now, finish your homework. You won't have time tomorrow since you have practice," mom instructed and they left me in my room.

"What was that you girls were laughing about?" I heard Uncle Emmett asked.

"Girl stuff, Emmett. Unless you're a girl, you're not to know," Rosalie said. I heard an argument started but my mind drifted.

I sat on my bed with the sweetest smile on my face. I felt so stupid when I thought that the man who filled my dreams was with someone else. I was wrong this whole time. I was special to him, too. It was not one sided after all. I couldn't wait to finish up the school work I needed to do and sleep tonight. I couldn't wait for my mind to be at ease and lose myself in my dreams. I knew it would be filled with one person; the person who had been in my dreams for months. Jacob Black.

--

A/N: This is a short chapter. I wanted to concentrate on Jacob in this chapter and finally Nessie found out the real deal with Leah and Jacob.

So, are you guys happy that Nessie finally found out about Jacob's relationship with Leah? Give me some love; please review =D.


	30. Teasing

A/N: It took longer for the update because I had to re-plot my story. Last chapter was done by popular demand that Nessie find out the truth between Jacob and Leah. I originally planned it to happen farther along the story but since a lot of people wanted it to happen already, I decided to give in. So now, I had to adjust my story a bit. I had writer's block, worse than I had before. Sorry for the delay. Here you go.

Oh yeah, thanks for the reviews. Over 150, yay! How about more love and bring it up to 200?

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

I slept well last night since the truth was uncovered last night. However, a part of me was nervous thinking how it would be like when I see Jacob again. I decided not to worry about it too much; that would be for another day. I got ready for school with much energy. It felt like a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulder.

I skipped on my way down the stairs and headed to the kitchen to grab a pop tart. My mood did not escape my mom's notice. "Someone had a good night sleep," she teased.

"That obvious, huh?" I said in between bites.

"Our little secret," mom said. I kissed her cheek and met with Alice in the car.

--

The first half of the day was a blur. I was too busy thinking about Jacob and the possibilities that opened up. I wasn't sure if Jacob liked me the way I liked him, but I couldn't help to let my mind wander. Marianne finally snapped me out of my daze during lunch.

"You've been out of it since this morning, Ness," she said.

"I thought it was just in English," Sabrina observed.

"Yeah, Ness, what's up?" Alice asked although she knew what was in my mind. We spent the whole drive to school talking about Jacob.

"Nothing, it was just a good day," I said then mumbled, "and Jacob's available."

"What?" Sabrina shrieked. "Oh. My. Goodness. That's perfect!"

"What's perfect?" Ken asked. He just arrived since he met up with the basketball team a few minutes before lunch.

"Oh, nothing, just so happened that the oh-so-hot Jacob is available," Sabrina said.

"I thought you said that he's taken?" Ken inquired.

"Well, that's what I thought before, but apparently, Jake and Leah are just really close friends, you know, childhood friends and stuff," I explained.

"Oh, I see," Ken said. His mood became somber the whole time at lunch.

--

As I waited for volleyball practice, I chatted with Alice for a bit. She was planning another shopping trip and I was invited along. I hadn't gone shopping for a while because of my busy schedule so we decided after our hunting trip this coming Sunday; we would go straight to the mall.

Sabrina was talking to April then they started giggling. When the other players came in, they started talking to Sabrina. I was not paying attention earlier what the topic was about, but when a few of them started looking at my direction, I focused my hearing.

"_Yeah, she just said it during lunch, he's available. I knew there was something with the way he looks at her."_

"_They looked so cute together. I can't believe she didn't even notice the way he looks at her."_

I decided to join the group with hopes that they would stop with the teasing, but it just went on. "So I guess it would be wrong to ask for his number next time he's around," April said and laughed.

"We're just friends, ladies, nothing more," I defended.

"You are the most unobservant person I've ever met," Denise said.

"Stop the gossip, let's play," Coach Noble blew his whistle.

I was glad that Coach called the practice in order. The team had taken extra interest with my love life all of a sudden.

After the practice, I saw Ken was waiting for us in the school parking lot. "Look at Romeo," Sabrina pointed at her brother. "Don't be surprised if he all of a sudden becomes your shadow. He's a bit competitive, so he would make himself more visible. I'm pretty sure he'll run around campus so he could walk you to your classes."

"Hey, Ken," I said when Alice and I reached the car.

"Nessie, uhm, I was wondering if you would like to watch a movie or something this weekend?" he asked.

"Ken, I don't think Uncle Carlisle will like the idea of a guy hanging around us too much, much more spending extra time on activities unrelated to school. My, uhm, dad trusted Uncle Carlisle to take care of us and I don't want him to think that, you know," I didn't know how to finish.

"Yeah, I guess," he said. "How about during the holidays?"

"Ken," I said but he didn't let me finish.

"I know, I know, boys in school issue. I just thought I'd ask," Ken said.

"I'll see you later," I said and waved him goodbye.

When we were on the road, Alice snickered, "The boy's obsessed with you, Ness."

"You think? I mean I do like him but I'm just too busy, I don't have time to deal with him, you know."

"And besides, your dad's going to kill you."

"That, too."

"And there's Jacob."

"Well, if he likes me, he better make the first move, because I won't."

"Good girl. Let him work."

--

Volleyball season was set to start in second week of November. Coach Noble decided to give us the last Saturday before the official start of the season as a day off. Uncle Emmett was ecstatic since we haven't played volleyball for a while and invited the pack over for another game of volleyball.

"Why can't we just play without the others?" I asked Uncle Emmett as he set the net outside.

"Because it's no fun if we don't have two full teams. Besides, it's better that you get used to having a full court," he said.

"Uncle Emmett, I had been practicing for more than a month already. It's going to be fine," I asked.

"Humor us," Uncle Jasper said.

Dad walked out of the house with mom and Grandpa walked hand in hand with Granma. Alice and Rosalie stood with me in one corner as we waited for Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett set up the net and line up the court. With their vampire speed, they could finish in less than a second, but they took their time moving in human speed since we were still waiting for the pack.

We were gathered in little groups. The females were talking in one area while Grandpa and dad were seated on one corner. Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett were jumping up and down the next, like a warm-up.

When Jacob arrived with Leah and Seth, Uncle Emmett blew on his whistle. We cringed with the shrill sound.

"Emmett, didn't I tell you to get rid of that thing!" Rosalie exclaimed. He immediately pocketed the whistle. The game hadn't started yet and Rosalie was already on war path.

"Okay, let's separate teams. No couples on the same team." Uncle Emmett looked around and assigned us to two teams. "Alice, Edward, Rosalie, Carlisle, Jacob and Leah, you're team one. The rest, you're with me," he announced.

We went to position and played two games before the 'humans' needed a break. I headed to the kitchen and grabbed three bottles of water and tossed them to the pack. I went back to the kitchen to grab my own bottle; Rosalie, Alice and mom were there.

"So, how you feeling?" Alice asked.

"Pretty worn out. Just a minute or two, I'm should be up for another game," I answered as I drained my bottle.

"That's not what she meant. She's asking about you know," mom said and gave me a knowing look.

"Oh, 'him.' I'm okay, we've been playing since they got here so we haven't talked yet," I informed them.

"Imagine if Nessie still thought that Jacob and Leah are together like that, she might have thrown a fit that Emmett put them in the same team," Rosalie chuckled which was followed by a chuckle from somebody else. We all froze; he was the last person we would want to hear this conversation.

Uncle Emmett's laughter boomed all around the house. "Guess what people, Nessie thought Leah is Jacob's girlfriend," he announced and I groaned.

"I'm so sorry, Nessie," Rosalie called out before she headed to catch Uncle Emmett. "Shut it, Emmett! It's not funny," I heard her shriek but it was too late. Everyone was gathered in the living room already and heard Uncle Emmett's announcement.

"Great, just great," I groaned as I headed to the backyard to avoid everyone. I sat on one of the branches that were knocked down months ago. I heard someone approached. "I know it will pass, mom, but you know how Uncle Emmett could go on and on with the teasing. Maybe by some miracle, he would get tired soon," I said without looking behind me.

My body stiffened when I heard the voice behind me. "Is that why you asked me what would Leah say if you introduced me as your boyfriend when I went with you in one of your practices?"

"Great," I muttered to myself. Why did it have to be him who would follow me? Ah, right, he wanted me to answer his question. I tried to think how to respond but my mind was blank.

"If you would rather be alone, I'll just go," he said which made my head snap and quickly looked back.

"No, it's okay, you can stay. I was just thinking of something witty to say but I'm blank," I answered with a smile. This was the first conversation we had since I found out the truth and I was on the verge of blowing it off. Very nice, Nessie, I told myself.

"May I sit?" he asked.

"You don't have to be so formal. It's just me," I said and patted the space beside me. He sat down but I didn't see where he was looking. I couldn't bring myself look at him just yet. My heart was beating so fast, it felt like it would jump off my chest.

"So," we said at the same time and we chuckled. "You go first," we said again at the same time.

"Ladies first," Jacob said and I smiled. He was always a gentleman around me.

"How's Leah? I'm sure she's getting a share of teasing from Uncle Emmett," I said. I felt bad for her; she became a part of this scenario because of my wrong assumption.

"Well, you know Leah, she's feisty and wouldn't take anything like that from anybody, much more Emmett," he answered. I felt him shift beside me. "Look at me, Nessie."

I inhaled before I turned to him, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay? I've known Emmett long enough to know that you won't be off the hook any time soon," he said with much sincerity.

"I'm sure Rosalie will set him straight, so don't worry," I smiled though I was not entirely sure that Rosalie could tame Uncle Emmett's teasing.

"Okay, but if you need help, just let me know," he said and I nodded. "So, you didn't answer my question earlier."

"Oh, that, yeah. Well, uhm, yeah, I really thought you and Leah are an item. You're always together, well, not always, but, every time she's here, you're here, so, yeah. Mom, Rosalie and Alice cleared it up," I explained, although it did not make sense to me so much. I hoped he understood what I was trying to say.

"Well, I'm just glad that's cleared," he chuckled.

We sat there in silence; none of us knew how to continue the conversation. I was glad that Seth called out, "Jake, we gotta go. I need to work on my project."

"I'll be there in a minute," Jacob called back then he stood up. He held out his hand to me to help me up. I let go as soon as I stood up. There was electricity in our touch, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was just on my side.

We walked together inside the house. Uncle Emmett looked at us but did not say anything. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie and dad was staring at Uncle Emmett.

_Rosalie, thanks for keeping him in a close leash, _I projected my thoughts to her.

Rosalie nodded her head. Jacob said goodbye to everyone and headed out the front door.

--

A/N: It was hard for me to write this chapter since it was a while since I wrote the last one. I need to get back in the mood of writing. If you have any suggestions, let me know, and maybe I'll add it in.


	31. Let the Games Begin

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

The day of our first game finally arrived. I was waiting for it for weeks since my parents decided that I could join the volleyball team. Before Alice and I left the house this morning, we had a quick family meeting regarding my game later that day.

"Nessie, don't forget what I taught you, okay? Concentrate not only on hitting, but also on your control. You might get too excited," Uncle Emmett reminded.

"I know, Uncle Emmett, I won't forget your advice. Promise."

"So, who's watching the game with me later?" Alice asked.

"We are, of course, we're the parents," mom said proudly.

"Uhm, you can't," Uncle Jasper said.

"He's right, love," dad said to my mom.

"Why not? C'mon, it's Renesmees's first game!" mom said.

"We have class tonight. The game starts at 5," dad explained and my mom's happy bubble was burst.

"That's not fair. This is her first game, we should be there."

"Mom," I tried to calm her, "you can watch the weekend games."

"Yeah, I guess. We don't really have much of a choice anyway," she exhaled.

"I'm going with you guys, I want to see Nessie in action," Uncle Emmett said.

"Then, it's settled. Jasper, Emmett, Rose and I are going to the game tonight. I think we should limit at most four at a time to keep a low profile," Alice said then he turned to Rose and Uncle Emmett, "We're just friends or neighbors or something. We're not related at all, if anybody asks."

"Got it," Rosalie said.

"Let's get going, Ness, or we'll be late for school," Alice said.

I hugged everyone and kissed my parents before heading out.

--

Ken greeted us as soon as we got to school.

"You excited?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," I smiled.

"Sabrina was jumping up and down the house this morning. She's always excited when the season starts, but I think she was more excited to have you in the team," he said.

"Yeah, she's been at it since last week," I said.

We reached our classroom for first period. Alice and I grabbed our books from Ken and proceeded to our seats where Marianne greeted us with much anticipation for the upcoming game later that day.

"Nessie, is Jacob coming to watch the game later?" Marianne asked.

"Uhm, no, I don't think so. I think he has a class later," I answered though I was unsure; I didn't know his school schedule, much more if he planned on watching the game later.

"That's too bad. I'm watching the game later," Marianne said disappointed then turned to Alice, "You're going later, right?"

"Yeah, I'm bringing my boyfriend and a couple of friends as well," Alice answered.

"I'll sit with you guys then," Marianne said. Miss Cheung entered the classroom and the day went back to the normal routine.

--

In English, Sabrina said that Coach Noble wanted to hold a quick meeting during lunch so instead of going to the cafeteria; I met up with Sabrina in the gymnasium. I told Alice to just grab me a sandwich or something so I could eat before the next class.

"So, are you ladies ready for later?" Coach Noble asked as soon as the Varsity Volleyball team was gathered in the gymnasium.

"More than ready, Coach," we answered in unison.

"As always, you will have a fair share of playing time. I already assigned the first-six then we will rotate either in half of the first set, or change in between sets, depends on how the game goes," Coach said then flipped some papers on his clipboard. "First six: Outside – Jean, Middle – Gail, Weak – Trish, Setter and first Service – Sabrina, Center – April, Back – Nessie."

My mouth hung open; I couldn't believe that Coach Noble put me in first six. I knew he needed another tall player, but I didn't think he would put me in first six on my first game.

"Next set," Coach Noble continued, "Robyn, you're replacing Jean, Cassie – Gail, Cecilia – Trish, Amanda – Sabrina, Denise – April, Wren – Nessie. This is just temporary, but for now, that's how we're going to put you in. Is there any questions?"

"Are we having another assembly before the game, Coach?" Amanda asked.

"Just be here by 4:30, no need to be here earlier than that. Those who need to go home before the game can still do so. Anything else?" No one asked another question. "Go and eat your lunch," he instructed.

--

To make sure that we would have enough energy and stamina for the first game, Coach Noble told the Varsity players in our PE class not to participate with the game anymore. He wanted us relaxed before the game since we would have warm up later with the other players anyway.

"I'll call Rosalie to just drive a separate car. With Emmett, we would be packed in the car," Alice said and I nodded. She went outside to make her phone call. Sabrina was talking to Marianne and I was about to approach them when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You better not screw up. Coach Noble speaks highly of you. I was supposed to be moved up in Varsity, but no thanks to you, I'm still stuck in JV," Kitty snarled.

"Kitty, it's not my fault that you're not that good in volleyball because if you are, Coach Noble wouldn't have the need to find another player and just automatically move you up," I snapped at her.

"Oh, you think you're so good? You're just new that's why they wanted you in the team. Don't screw up," Kitty said and before I could reply, she turned her heel and left.

"I hate her," I said.

"Who?" Alice asked.

"Kitty. She's jealous because she said I took her spot in the Varsity team."

"Well, show her what you're made of," Alice said.

"Oh yeah, I will," I said and winked at her. I walked towards the team.

--

I had my share of playing time. Coach Noble was fair to everyone that we were rotated during the game. With the practices that I held with Uncle Emmett, I had no mishap in the game. Thanks to the school spirit and much practice, we won the first game.

"How does it feel?" Sabrina asked.

"Exhilarating!" I beamed.

"Well, this is just game one. There's a lot more to come," she said and we proceed to change.

Marianne, Alice, Uncle Jasper, Rosalie and Uncle Emmett greeted us on our way out of the gymnasium. "Nessie, great job!" Alice and Rosalie squealed and enveloped me in a hug.

"Thanks," I said and turned to Sabrina. "This is Jasper, Alice's boyfriend. This is our friend Rosalie and her boyfriend, Emmett."

"Nice to meet you all," Sabrina said.

"Uhm, Jazz, why don't you ride with Rose and Em, we'll meet up with you later," Alice said to Uncle Jasper and the three of them left.

"Dang, your boyfriend's hot," Sabrina said and we laughed.

"Yeah, isn't he?" Alice beamed.

"And I would give anything to have Rosalie's legs. Is she a model or something?" Marianne asked.

"She wish!" I laughed.

"Emmett is wow, those muscles... They look good together," Sabrina said. "Too bad Marc can't watch the games. I'm so jealous seeing partners like that."

"At least you have a boyfriend," I said.

"And you have Jacob, who I still haven't met," Marianne said.

"Enough boy talk for tonight. Let's head home, we still have school tomorrow," I said to avoid the Jacob topic.

--

The volleyball games and practices kept me on my toes. I barely have time to continue my telepathic training with Grandpa since we also have Saturday games. I was glad for those Saturday games since those were the only games that my parents could watch me play.

After one Saturday game, I introduced Sabrina to my parents. "Sabrina, this is, uhm, my sister, Bella and her boyfriend, Edward."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Sabrina said.

"Well, I do," I said. I turned to them, "I'm just gonna change, I'll see you in the car."

They left while Sabrina and I walked towards the locker room. "You have the same hair like your sister, but, I know this might sound weird, you kinda look like Edward, too," Sabrina said.

My body stiffened. Of course any observant person could see some of my resemblance with my dad. "Really? You're the first one who said that," I lied. "Maybe because I have slightly pale skin and stuff."

"Yeah, maybe," Sabrina shrugged and dropped the subject.

When I met my parents in the car, my dad told me what he heard from Sabrina's mind. "She kept looking at the three of us alternately. She could have sworn that if we didn't look the same age, she would think that we're your parents."

I had to laugh at that, "If she only knew. But yeah, she actually told me that I kinda look like you, dad. I just said that it was the first time someone said that."

"Well, either way, that was a close call," mom said. "Unfortunately, angel, I don't think it is wise for us to watch you in your games. It will attract too much attention."

"Oh, that sucks. I want you to watch me play. How about you watch but don't greet me, just go straight home then we'll talk there?" I suggested.

"Maybe we could do that instead, but as soon as people start suspecting, we'll stop going to your games," dad said and I agreed.

--

One Friday, Alice told me that she was not going to watch the game. She and Marianne were working on an Art project in her house and they decided to finish it tonight for Monday submission.

"Well, somebody better be here because I don't have a car. How am I supposed to go home?" I asked.

"Nessie, you're the family's baby; do you think we would let you stay here by yourself. I'm not sure who's going but I'm sure you'll be fine," she assured me.

"You better because I will burn your clothes if I get stuck here," I threatened her.

"You wouldn't dare," Alice stuck her tongue at me.

I just laughed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just make sure I have a lift home."

"Don't worry about it," she said and was about to head out the gym before she turned around, "Hey, Ness, if you're going to buy a car, what would you get?"

"I actually want a Mini Cooper but I think I'm too tall for that so I would settle for a Volkswagen Beetle," I said.

"That's not even a fast car," she said.

"I'm going for cute, not fast," I said and she laughed as she exited the gymnasium.

--

I didn't notice who in my family went to watch the game. Coach Noble made me play the whole first set and I didn't get any break until the set was over. I looked around the bleachers searching for pale faces but I didn't see any. Alice promised that somebody will be here. I searched the seats once more to make sure I didn't miss anybody then I noticed three people waving at me. I focused my eyes to focus more and gasped, "No!"

"What?" Sabrina whispered. She was focused on the game that she didn't see the three figures seated on the other side of the bleachers.

"Uhm, nothing," I said and tore my eyes from the group but it was too late; Sabrina already saw what I was looking at.

"Is that Jacob?" she asked but didn't wait for me to answer, "Oh yeah, that's him! Why didn't you say that he's coming. Marianne will be upset that she and Alice had to do that Art thing tonight."

"I didn't know he's coming," I grunted.

"Good thing we're winning then," Sabrina winked at me. "Too bad Ken had a game tonight, the money I would pay to see his face right now."

When the game was over and we officially won the game, Sabrina pointed on the bleachers where Jacob was seated with Leah and Seth.

"Was that the girl?" April asked.

"Who?" I asked and I saw her looking at Leah, "Oh yeah, that's her."

The pack walked towards the team. "Good game, ladies," Jacob greeted.

Like a chorus, everyone greeted him, "Hey, Jacob." I groaned. The power he had over these ladies was undeniable.

"Who's the cutie?" Cecilia whispered to me.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Ladies, this is Leah and her brother, Seth."

They shook hands and I saw some of my team mate checking Seth out. I couldn't help but tease him, "Just so you know, ladies, Seth is available." I winked at him before heading to the locker room. I heard a few of them, "See you later, Seth."

--

When I was done changing, I walked out with Sabrina and April. They continually asked me about Jacob. "So, are you guys going out or something?"

"No, we're not," I answered.

"Why not? He's totally into you," April said, "and just for the record, you are much, much prettier than Leah. I mean she's pretty, but she got nothing on you."

"Thanks for the boost of self-esteem, April," I said.

I saw Jacob leaning on his Jeep Laredo. There was no sign of Seth and Leah. April and Sabrina walked with me to the Jeep. As if reading my mind, Jacob said, "Leah and Seth left already. They drove separately. I told them I'll wait for you."

"Isn't that sweet?" Sabrina teased and pushed me playfully.

"Sabrina, let's go and leave these two so they could talk," April grabbed Sabrina's arm and they walked to their cars.

"Shall we?" Jacob asked and I nodded. He opened the passenger door for me. This trip would be very awkward.

--

A/N: Hmmm, what would it be like to be in the car with Jacob now that Nessie knows that he's not with Leah? Stay tuned! As always, please review.


	32. Awkward

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

I did not say a word when Jacob got in on the driver's side. If he wanted to talk, he should start because I had no idea how to handle a normal conversation with him after the whole revelation about my stupid assumption between him and Leah. I definitely preferred to sit in silence and just get home. That way, I would not end up saying anything stupid. He, on the other hand, did not share the same preference.

"If I knew you were that good, I would have seen you play sooner," he said.

"You've seen me play before."

"Yeah, but you looked different in a competition."

"Thanks, but it's a group effort. I just played one set."

"You are just like your mom, always putting yourself down. Nessie, you are really good. I thought you were pretty good when I saw you in practices, but there's nothing like seeing you in a competition."

I didn't say anything. How do you answer a statement like that? I just shrugged and hoped that it was enough as a response, but I looked out the window and smiled. He complimented me and it felt nice.

I sat in silence until I noticed that he did not turn towards the right direction heading home.

"Uh, Jake, you missed our turn," I said.

"No, I didn't."

"Home is that way," I pointed back to the street that he missed.

"I know that, but we're going to celebrate your win. We're eating out," he said matter-of-factly, as if I was included in the decision making.

"My family's going to look for me, you know that right?" I said. My family, especially my parents, wanted to know where I was every single time of the day. They were very protective of me and I understood why. I had only been exposed to the outside world a few months back.

"No, they won't. I told them that I'll take you to dinner after the game," he answered.

"And when was this decided?" I asked. Alice said she didn't know who was coming to the game and now Jacob made it sound like it had been planned that he was going to pick me up tonight.

"Sunday, while you were hunting with your mom and aunts," he said. That could explain why Alice didn't know who was picking me up, or she was playing games with me earlier. That pixie of an aunt had her ways of playing matchmaker. It would be nice if Jacob would just get a move on.

Jacob broke me off my trance, "Is Italian okay?"

"Sure."

After a couple of minutes, we parked in a little Italian restaurant. I was wondering why Jacob jumped out of the car like he was in dire need to pee, then I saw him ran to my door to open it. Gentleman, very nice.

"Thanks," I said. He nodded.

He opened the door for me and we entered the restaurant. "Table for two, please," he requested and we were led to our table. When we were seated, I glanced at Jacob and saw that he was studying me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just want to let you know you don't have to eat pasta. They serve meat loaf here, too," he smiled. It was nice that he knew my favorite food. It was a small detail that most of my family knew anyway, but I felt extra special that he still remembered although he didn't live with us.

"I'll just get that then," I said as I put down the menu.

"Good evening. My name is Flora and I'll be your server for tonight. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Strawberry Lemonade, please," I said then she turned to Jacob.

"Root beer for me. We're ready to order," Jacob said.

"Sure thing. What would you like?"

"Meat loaf with mash potato for the lady and meat ravioli for me," Jacob said as he handed the menu to our server.

"Thank you and I'll be back with your drinks." Flora turned her heel and left.

"How's school?" Jacob asked. School, yeah that was a pretty safe topic. There were a lot of things that we could talk about school, right?

"School's fine," I answered. So, I was wrong; there was not much stuff to talk about school. We seriously needed another topic. Maybe it would be better if I asked him instead. "It's just high school, nothing biggie. You, on the other hand, might have something exciting to share."

"Unless you're Rosalie, my studies won't be so entertaining," he stated. He was probably right. He was studying to get his license as an Auto Technician and I was not into cars like Rosalie. She tried to talk to me about it before when I was still learning how to drive, but none of it registered. She gave up after two days and I was happy that she did. For me, I just wanted to get the keys and drive away; brake and gas were my only concern.

Jacob tried to start another conversation since the first topic didn't seem like it would go anywhere, "How's the training?" he asked then tapped on his head.

"I've been busy so we didn't get pretty much done. We've covered distance but the length of thought is still touchy. Last time we tried it, I passed out." I saw Jacob's fist clenched.

"You. Passed. Out? Nobody told me that!" he exclaimed, extremely mad.

"It was just for a few minutes. Grandpa said I must have forced my brain too much. We haven't tried it after that; dad wanted me to take it slow," I shrugged since it was no big deal.

"Next time you're going to practice, I want to be there," he demanded.

We sat in total awkward silence. After the fit that he threw, we decided to stay quiet. Thanks to Flora, we got our food and had a reason to be silent. We ate almost half of our food without saying a word. Jacob looked like in deep concentration. I didn't know if he was concentrating on the food or trying to figure out how to talk to me. If this was our first date, I didn't see any hope of having a second one.

"Embry and Tanya are coming for the holidays," Jacob broke the silence.

"Really? That's great!" I exclaimed. This would be the first time that Embry and Tanya would fly to Hanover. Our families visited us during the winter holidays and we visited them over the summer vacation, except this past summer when my parents decided to take summer classes.

"Yeah, I know. The more the merrier," he said.

"My parents better warn Grandpa Charlie and the others about me before they get here though."

"Warn them about you?" Jacob repeated with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah. Last time they saw me, I looked," I paused and thought of how to re-word my statement just in case there were eavesdropper around. "I was 'nine'," I said and gave him a meaningful look. I decided if he didn't understand what I was saying, I would project my thoughts to him instead. Thankfully, he understood me.

"Oh yeah, it's been a while," he said.

The upcoming visit of our families on December seemed to give us things to talk about. We talked about how they might be surprised to see me after a long time, which was really less than a year ago, but for the sake of conversation, and eavesdroppers, we settled to convert the months as years. I haven't seen anybody from La Push aside from Billy and Paul.

"Do you know who else is coming? I'm sure Granma Sue would want to see Leah and Seth." I called Sue Granma since she was dating Grandpa Charlie. She didn't mind when I was younger, but I wasn't so sure if she would still want me to call her Granma after seeing me looking just a few years younger than her children.

"Charlie, Sue and Dad for sure. I think Rachel's coming, but I'm not sure about Paul this year. He wasn't very comfortable last time," Jacob said.

When he mentioned Paul, something crossed my mind that I never thought of before. I opened my mouth to ask a question, but I ended up closing it because I wasn't quite sure how to ask. I knew that whatever the answer would be to my question, it would put us in an awkward situation. I sighed which did not escape Jacob's notice.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just…uhm…you know what, never mind," I said.

"Nessie, say it already. You know I won't stop pestering you until you tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"It's really nothing, don't worry about it," I tried to convince him but he wouldn't budge.

"We're not leaving this place until you tell me what you're thinking," he said and put his arms over his chest to add effect to his serious tone.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you. I just started to notice something," I started. "When you mentioned Paul, I remembered you telling me before that Paul imprinted on Rachel."

"Yeah, so?"

"And Sam imprinted on Emily and Embry on Tanya," I enumerated. "Well, I noticed that they are, uhm, you know, like going out and dating and boyfriend/girlfriend. Does that apply to all?"

I saw Jacob's eyes widened. He did not say anything and it bothered me. "I told you it was nothing. I really shouldn't have said anything."

"Well, uhm, I just wasn't expecting that, that's all," Jacob said. He seemed flustered but it could have been my imagination, too, because after a few seconds, he composed himself again and looked straight at me. "The relationship between Paul and Rachel, Sam and Emily, and Embry and Tanya developed between them. I don't want to say that it applies to all because don't you think it was kind of weird to think of Quil and Claire like that? I mean, Claire's what, seven?"

"Oh. I see your point," I said while I hid my disappointment. I asked the question with hopes that maybe somewhere along the way, maybe not now, but some day, we would have the same relationship as them, but when he threw in the relationship between Quil and Claire, my hopes flew out of the window. I remembered how Quil treated Claire. He was like Claire's older brother. Maybe that was the same way that Jacob saw me, a younger sister.

"Are you done eating?" Jacob asked. I looked on my plate and I still have a good quarter of my order left. Usually I could eat a lot, but after the conversation that we just had, I suddenly lost my appetite.

"Yeah, I'm full," I answered.

"That's a first," Jacob teased and I half-heartedly smiled. "You want any dessert?" he asked. I shook my head. I wanted to go home already. I didn't want him to notice the sudden change of my mood.

"Can I get you anything else? Dessert? Do you need a box?" our server asked.

"No, we're good, thank you. We'll just have the check," Jacob answered and Flora handed him the receipt. She picked up the plates from the table. Jacob grabbed his wallet and placed a few bills on the table and we headed out.

--

Alice was already standing by the door when we arrived. I didn't give Jacob enough time to rush on my side; I opened my own door and grabbed my bag from the back seat. He did not stay long; he just bid my family good night and left.

Alice, Rosalie and mom followed me in my bedroom. The guys didn't say anything, but I guessed they must have had a discussion during my absence.

"How's dinner?" Alice asked.

"If that's what a first date would be like, I think I'll pass on the entire dating scene," I said.

"Why is that?" Rosalie asked.

"It was awkward and we didn't have anything to talk about. If you went with him," I faced Rose, "you could have talked about cars."

"What did you guys talk about?" mom asked.

"School, which didn't go far in the conversation then he asked about my training. I told him about that time that I passed out and he got mad because nobody told him about it. He said he should be around in my trainings from here on," I said.

"Isn't he demanding?" Alice chimed; both my mom and Rosalie smiled. I knew there was something behind Alice's comment but I didn't say anything.

"Why don't you rest? You must have been tired already," mom said and patted my shoulder. I kissed all of them and took a shower before going to bed.

--

I laid awake for what felt like hours. I closed my eyes but my thoughts were filled with Jacob again. I thought of what he said earlier, something that I did not mention to my mom and aunts. There could be a possibility that we could end up together, like Sam and Emily or Embry and Tanya. Jacob said it developed between them; maybe something might grow between us, too. I held on to that hope and slowly fell asleep. One day, Jacob Black, one day you would see me more than a younger sister.


	33. Group Project

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I greatly appreciate it and I'm glad you like the story.

I'm getting a lot of comments on when will Jacob tell Nessie about his feelings and I'm sorry that it will not be any time soon. I am going to hurry up the timeline so that he could do so already, but there are some things that will happen first before the Jacob confession. Please bear with me.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

Monday came too soon. I knew that Sabrina would not let me hear the end of last Friday's event when Jacob was waiting for me after the game. It didn't help either that I would see April later on in PE because she and Sabrina were in some kind of teasing tag-team.

I got ready for school today with less energy than I normally had. I didn't know when I would be seeing Jacob again and it kind of dampened by mood. I didn't show it to my family, though. I was glad that my aunts and mom were very open with my crush with Jacob. I was surprised that I hadn't heard anything from my dad, but I assumed that my mom already had a talk with him.

--

When we got to school, Ken was once again waiting for us. He looked serious today rather then his cheery mood from last week. He was also normally chatty when we walked towards the class, but he did not say a word. I wondered what changed, but didn't find the voice to ask him. When we reached our first class, Ken looked like he wanted to say something.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Actually, I kinda wanted to talk to you for a sec."

"Uh, sure?" it came out as a question rather than an answer. Alice went inside the classroom but not after giving me a 'this-should-be-interesting' look.

"Sabrina told me that Jacob was at the game last Friday," he said. It wasn't a question so I just nodded. "He's not your boyfriend, right? I mean, you're still available?" he asked.

"Well, no, he's not my boyfriend, and yes, I'm still available, but…" he cut me off.

"That's all I needed to know. In case you want to change your 'availability,' I just want you to know that I'm around for consideration."

"Well, here's the thing. I like you as a friend and I don't want to lead you on. You're a really nice guy and right now, I'm not feeling anything special for you other than frie…," Ken cut me off, again.

"Nessie, I really like you and until you have a boyfriend or something, I'll still be here. Until you shoo me away, I'll be here," he said.

"I'm not going to shoo you away, you're a friend. I just don't want to lead you on, that's all," I explained.

"I understand and you are not leading me on. I'm just into following," he said and smiled. "I better get going or I'll be late for class." He turned his heel and left.

I went to my seat. "What did you talk about?" Marianne asked.

"He's just making sure that I know he's around just in case I want to change my 'availability' status as he put it. I told him that we're friends and I didn't want to lead him on."

"What did he say?" Alice asked. I knew she already saw the conversation in her visions, but she wanted to act as if this was all new to her.

"He said that I wasn't leading him on; he just like following me. He's not going to go anywhere until I have a boyfriend or something."

"He's a keeper," Marianne said. The bell rang and the class was in session.

--

Algebra and Biology passed with a blur. None of the topic captured my attention since I have learned those when I was home schooled by my family. In English, Mr. Thomas instructed as to form groups of four for a group assignment. Marianne, Sabrina, Alice and I automatically grouped ourselves together. The whole class rearranged the chairs in the classroom to form little groups.

"In case you're wondering, this is the first time I'm assigning a group project to any of my classes, so don't go asking around the other students what I did last year. I figured that since there are a lot of movies out there that are based on books, it would be a good group discussion. For your group work, you are going to read a book that was made to a movie and you are going to watch that movie. After doing so, as a group, you are going to write two essays: the first is a summary review of the story plot, which is based on the book; the second is a comparison and contrast essay, wherein you will compare the book and the movie. For example, were the words on the book better than how it was portrayed in the movie or did the movie gave the words of the book more depth?

"Both essays should be worked on as a group. Since there are four members and just two essays, you have to work on it together, not assigning who should write what essay." Mr. Thomas grabbed some papers from his desk and handed each group one set, "Here are some movies based on a book. If you know a movie based on a book that was not listed, let me know. Unless I approve it, you can't use it. Any questions so far?"

Someone raised her hand. "Yes, Melissa?" Mr. Thomas called out.

"How come Harry Potter's not in the list?"

"Because I don't think that that series would make a very good essay. I don't want to read how handsome the actors are and how you think that the movie was too short compared to the book. The movies have been overly reviewed already so I don't want you copying off from those reviews," Mr. Thomas explained.

"That's too bad; I wanted to write about Cedric," Melissa mumbled.

"I'll tell you want I tell my thirteen-year-old daughter; Cedric Diggory is dead, let him go," Mr. Thomas said and the whole class laughed. "Any other question?"

"Do we have to read the book before we watch the movie?" Jerry asked.

"It's totally up to your group what you want to do first, read or watch. It is up to you as well if you want to pick a movie and book that was not read by any of your group mates or if it's okay to re-read a book or watch a movie again. As long as the book is on the list, I pretty much don't care how you proceed," Mr. Thomas explained. "If there's no other question, talk with your group some kind of arrangement you want to do. Just so you know this project will not be worked on in class. This is a take home project so match your schedules wisely."

When we were given time to discuss amongst ourselves, we scheduled a meeting. "How's your schedule after class?" Marianne asked.

"We don't have a game tonight, but I could really use tonight to catch up on my classes. Tuesday and Thursday are no good, we have practice. We have a game on Wednesday," Sabrina said.

"I have an appointment on Friday," Marianne said.

"How about Saturday? We don't have a game," I suggested.

"Sounds good to me; we could meet at our house," Alice said. I looked at her, bewildered.

_Alice, did you just invite two of our HUMAN friends to a house FULL OF VAMPIRES???_ I screamed my thought to her and I knew she heard me loud and clear since she cringed.

"Are you sure?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Carlisle's working this weekend, so it's just going to be Esme and Bella at home," Alice replied. What I would give to have my father's mind-reading ability right now! Alice sounded so sure about her reply that I just had to agree with her.

"So, how about it? Our house on Saturday?" I asked Sabrina and Marianne.

"Sounds good," they both said.

After class, I excused myself and Alice from Sabrina and Marianne. "Alice, what are you thinking?" I shrieked.

"Relax, Nessie. We'll just tell the others to go to the pack's house on Saturday. I can't go anywhere, the sun would be up so it's better that I stay indoors, don't you think?"

"You could have warned me about it earlier, you know," I said.

"I know, but it was too late to tell you anything because Mr. Thomas already announced to form the groups before I had a chance," she said as she glided to our next class.

--

At lunch, it was back to normal with me and Ken. It was not weird at all in spite of our conversation earlier and I liked it. The last thing I wanted to happen was for things to be different between us. I was glad that he knew where I was in terms of my feelings for him and I knew what his feelings were for me.

"So, what happened after the game?" Marianne asked. We didn't get a chance to talk during English since Mr. Thomas was going around making sure that we were talking about the group project and not anything in random.

"We ate dinner to celebrate winning the game and went home," I said.

"Who paid?" Sabrina asked.

"He did, he's the one who thought of eating out. No way I'm paying," I said and Ken laughed.

"So it was a date?" Marianne asked and I felt Ken stiffened beside me. He didn't say anything but I knew that he was eager to hear what I was going to say.

"No, it's not a date. He didn't ask me; he just drove to the restaurant. You're supposed to be asked for it to count as a date," I said.

"I guess. Oh yeah, prepare to be ambushed by April; she's been antsy since you guys drove off that night," Sabrina said.

"You know, if not for Sabrina here, I would think that that Jacob doesn't exist. He's only around when I'm not there," Marianne commented.

"That makes the two of us," Ken said.

"He is sooooo real," Sabrina said and had that 'he's-so-hot' look on her face. We all laughed at her.

--

It was not just April who wanted to know what happened at the game last Friday. It seemed like Jacob formed a fan club out of the Varsity team. And Seth for that matter.

"So, what happened after the game? April said you went home with Jacob," Denise asked.

"Nothing. We ate dinner to celebrate since we won," I said.

"Tell Jacob he sucks. Sabrina and I were there; he should have treated all three of us," April pouted.

"I'll tell him that," I said and we all laughed.

"Ness," Trish called out and I turned to her, "is Seth single?" As soon as the question was out, the teasing turned from me to Trish.

"Yes, Trish, he is single. I just don't know if he's looking right now. You want me to ask?" I teased.

"No, it's okay," Trish shrugged and we all doubled our laughter.

--

When we got home, Alice told everyone about our visitors on Saturday. "Only Esme and Bella can stay here," she said.

"How come Bella get to stay and I can't?" dad asked.

"Because Bella is Nessie's 'sister'. No boyfriends allowed on Saturday," Alice turned to Uncle Jasper, "Sorry, Jazz, rule applies to you, too." She then turned to Uncle Emmett and Rosalie, "No 'other' friends either."

"Do we really have to go the pack's house or can we go somewhere?" Rosalie asked.

"It's really totally up to you, but we have a weird December day on Saturday. The sun will be out," Alice said.

"I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with the guys playing video all day," Rosalie groaned.

"Does the pack know about this?" Jasper asked.

"They will in a minute," Alice said and dialed the phone.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Jake, it's Alice."

"_What's up?"_

"We're wondering if it's okay for the guys and Rosalie to hang out there on Saturday. We're having two of our classmates coming over for a school project."

"_Sure, no problem. Just make sure to tell Emmett to bring some of his games."_

"Already planning on it," Uncle Emmett shouted and Jacob chuckled on the other line.

"_See you guys on Saturday."_

"There you go. All set for Saturday," Alice announced as the hung up the phone.


	34. Uninvited Guests

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. So close to 200, please post those reviews! Good or bad, doesn't matter, your opinion always count. Thanks also for the added Favorites and Alerts. You guys are awesome!

I think from here on out, there will be a lot more of Jacob so you won't miss him too much =D.

Also, my other story, **Embry Imprinted**, is going to be intertwined with this story again soon so check it out as well.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

The week quickly passed and it was already Friday. Marianne, Sabrina, Alice and I agreed to meet at our house Saturday afternoon since Sabrina had an appointment scheduled in the morning that she forgot about until she mentioned to her parents about our group meeting.

"Is one o'clock fine?" Marianne asked.

"It should be. My appointment is at eleven, so I should be done by then. I'll swing by to pick you up then we'll go straight there," Sabrina said.

"Sounds good to me," Marianne said.

"Here's our phone number, just in case," Alice handed our number to both Marianne and Sabrina.

"Sabrina, could you just give my number to them? I gotta run. I'll see you ladies tomorrow," Marianne waved and rushed to her car since she had an appointment to get to. After Sabrina gave us hers and Marianne's number, we separated and went to our cars.

--

When we got home, I was surprised to see the grocery bags in the kitchen.

"Mom, are you guys planning on eating human food again?" I asked.

"Very funny, Renesmee. Esme went to the store to buy stuff to prepare for tomorrow. I guess she went a little overboard," mom explained.

"A little is at most two extra bags. This," I motioned towards the bags, "is not a little overboard, mom. Granma practically bought the whole store."

"I didn't. I think I left about a bottle or two of soda in the shelf," Granma chimed with another bag of grocery.

"Granma, this is too much! There are only two girls coming tomorrow," I exclaimed

"I just wanted to make sure that they have a variety of food to eat. What time are they coming?"

"One in the afternoon. They'll probably eat lunch before coming over," I said.

"Nonsense. Do you have their numbers?" Granma asked and I nodded. "Good. Call them and tell them to eat late lunch here and ask what they want to eat so I could cook for them." I sighed and looked for Alice. There was no use arguing with Granma since she already decided that she would prepare a feast for tomorrow.

--

"This is totally unfair," Rosalie pouted. Saturday came and it meant that she needed to go the pack's house with my dad and uncles. "Why can't I stay?"

"Because we want to look normal," Alice answered.

"I can act normal," Rosalie said.

"You're too pretty to be normal, Rose," Alice reasoned out.

"Fine!" Rosalie said as she followed the guys piling up to ride her car. She turned to me before closing the door of the car, "If your dad," she then turned to Alice, "or your husband end up in pieces, I will not be held responsible." She slammed the door when she got in.

--

Granma busied herself preparing food for my classmates. She cooked cheese tortellini and stuffed mushroom. Mom cooked meat loaf and mash potato especially for me. It was a little after twelve when they finished cooking. It smelled so good in the house that my stomach turned and I couldn't wait for Sabrina and Marianne to arrive so that we could eat.

A few minutes before one, the door bell rang. I rushed to the door and welcomed our two classmates. And another friend.

"Ken, what are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.

"We had an appointment together and he won't get off the car when he found out that we're going to your house for a group project," Sabrina grunted.

"Oh," was all I could say and led them to the living room.

"Well, this is a surprise," Alice said when she saw Ken and raised her eyebrow on me. I rolled my eyes at her.

"It smells delicious in here," Marianne said.

"There's a feast waiting in the dining room. Let's go," I invited them.

Mom, Granma and Alice served the food. Alice made an excuse that she ate already since she couldn't wait any longer and it wasn't good for her to skip meals.

"This is Aunt Esme and my sister, Bella," I introduced them to Ken and Marianne. Sabrina already met them during volleyball games. "They cooked these," I said as I pointed to the dishes on the table.

"This is Marianne, our other friend in school, and this is Ken, Sabrina's older brother." They all nodded at each other.

"Good thing I cooked a lot of food; you said there's only two of your friends that are coming," Granma teased.

"Still more than enough," I said.

"This is really good," Ken said after taking a bit of the meat loaf.

"I'm glad you liked it," mom said to Ken.

--

After eating, we proceeded to the living room. We divided the pages of the hand out that Mr. Thomas gave us and we scanned our pages. Our plan was to call out anything that we thought would be good. Ken just sat on a corner and read one of the car magazines that Alice said belonged to Uncle Carlisle; it was really Rosalie's, but he didn't need to know that.

"How about 'Da Vinci Code'?" Sabrina asked.

"I don't think I could watch that movie again. It gave me nightmares for the almost a week," Marianne said.

We were silent for a minute or two when the door bell rang. Alice and I looked at each other since we were not expecting anybody and no one visits our house.

_Alice, who is it? _I asked in her mind. She looked clueless.

I got up and announced, "I got it," so that my mom and Granma would know that I already made my move. None of them should be opening the door anyway since the sun might hit them upon doing so. I was shocked to see who was on the other side of the door. It was Jacob. I closed the door behind me before I said anything.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" he chuckled but when he saw I was not amused, he answered my question. "I just wanted to visit. Aren't you going to let me in?"

"Most of my family is at your house!" I exclaimed.

"I'm visiting you, not them," he answered.

"Seriously, we told them to go to your house because we have human friends in there," I motioned my thumb pointing inside the house.

"In case you forgot, I'm not a vamp."

"It's not nice to leave your visitors," I snarled.

"So, let's not keep them waiting then," he said as he motioned to grab the doorknob but before he reached it, the door opened.

"Everything alright?" I heard Ken asked. Perfect, just perfect! Of course he would be the one checking on me if I was alright. At this point, I had no choice but introduce the guys to one another.

"Ken, this is Jacob. Jacob, this is Ken." They shook hands but I could see that they were shooting daggers at each other.

"I thought you're having female friends over," Jacob turned to me and arched his eyebrow.

"Ken is Sabrina's brother and he went with her. It was not originally planned," I snarled at him.

"An uninvited guest. I guess I'm not the only one," Jacob said and passed me to go inside. I groaned before I closed the door.

"Jacob!" I heard Sabrina greeted him.

"So you're the infamous Jacob?" Marianne said.

I had no choice but face the inevitable. "Jacob, this is our other friend, Marianne. Marianne, this is Jacob and as you can see, he's real."

"Oh, I can see how real he is. And I must say, Sabrina, he really is hot," Marianne said and winked at Jacob.

Jacob smugly smiled and put his arm over my shoulder, "Your friends like me, Nessie. I'm not feeling so uninvited anymore."

I shrugged his arm off and pushed him, "Aunt Esme and Bella cooked so go and get some food. We have to continue working on our group project."

"How come he gets to stay here?" Jacob pointed to Ken.

"Because he leaves us alone. He doesn't talk to us; he just stays quiet, which you can't do, so go," I pushed him towards the kitchen.

"I'm hurt. You see how your friend treats me?" he said to Marianne and Sabrina. He chuckled and turned towards the kitchen.

"He's so cute," Marianne said.

"I told you!" Sabrina exclaimed.

"Shut up," I said and went back going down my list.

"How about 'Nanny Diaries' or 'PS I Love You'," Marianne asked.

"As much as I like those romance stories, I don't think it would be very subjective for essays," Sabrina said and we all agreed.

"I guess 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' is out," Alice said and we laughed. Sabrina and Marianne learned Alice's obsession of shopping.

We were silent for a minute then I heard humming. I listened closely and heard that it was coming from Sabrina. "Hey, are you humming 'Broken Strings'?"

"Yeah. I love that song. Ken and I were just singing it earlier in the car," Sabrina answered.

"She knows how to play it," Alice said.

Ken's head snapped up, "What do you play?"

"Guitar," I answered.

"I wanna hear!" Marianne exclaimed.

I looked at Alice who was smiling at me. I took it as a go ahead so I got up and went upstairs to grab my guitar. "Ken, you ready?" I asked when I settled on the chair. He gave me two thumbs up. He sat beside Sabrina on the sofa.

I strummed my guitar and started to play the song. Ken sang James Morrison's part.

_Let me hold you  
For the last time  
It's the last chance to feel again  
But you broke me  
Now I can't feel anything  
_  
His voice sounded really good and he looked really serious when he was singing.

_When I love you,  
It's so untrue  
I can't even convince myself  
When I'm speaking,  
It's the voice of someone else_

When it was time to start the refrain and chorus, I got into the song and strummed more confident.

_Oh it tears me up  
I try to hold on, but it hurts too much  
I try to forgive, but it's not  
enough to make it all okay_

You can't play on broken strings  
You can't feel anything that your  
heart don't want to feel  
I can't tell you something that ain't real

Alice, Marianne and Sabrina clapped in rhythm while Ken continued singing.__

Oh the truth hurts  
And lies worse  
How can I give anymore  
When I love you a little less than before  
  
I looked at Sabrina and we both sang Nelly Furtado's part of the song.

_Oh what are we doing  
We are turning into dust  
Playing house in the ruins of us  
_  
Ken, Sabrina and I sang the duet part of the song.

_Running back through the fire  
When there's nothing left to save  
It's like chasing the very last  
train when it's too late_

Sabrina stopped singing, which left me singing duet with Ken. I was hesitant to continue but Ken was into the song that I decided to keep singing. Ken and I sang the rest of the song together; Sabrina sang some of the background.

_Oh it tears me up  
I try to hold on, but it hurts too much  
I try to forgive, but it's not  
enough to make it all okay_

You can't play on broken strings  
You can't feel anything that your  
heart don't want to feel  
I can't tell something that ain't real

Well the truth hurts,  
And lies worse  
How can I give anymore  
When I love you a little less than before

But we're running through the fire  
When there's nothing left to save  
It's like chasing the very last train  
When we both know it's too late (too late)

You can't play on broken strings  
You can't feel anything that your  
heart don't want to feel  
I can´t tell you something that ain't real

Well truth hurts,  
And lies worse  
How can I give anymore  
When I love you a little less than before

Let me hold you for the last time  
It's the last chance to feel again

When we were done, everyone was clapping. I noticed that Granma, mom and Jacob were standing by the dining room. Ken and I got up and bowed our heads.

"That was great," Sabrina exclaimed.

"You sound so good together. You should join the band or theater or something!" Marianne squealed. We all laughed.

"Sorry to break it to you, Marianne, but I had no plans on becoming the next Zack Efron," Ken said with a serious tone and it caused us to double our laughter.

"Okay, break it up. We still need to talk about the group project," Alice said. I put down my guitar and grabbed my list. Just like that, we were back on serious mode again and started going through our list.

"What about Jane Austen's novel?" Alice asked.

"I don't know. Her novels are kinda hard for me to read without falling asleep," Sabrina said.

"Has anyone read 'Becoming Jane Austen'?" Marianne asked and we all shook our heads. "The movie was good, but I wanted to make sure that the book will be good. We should pick something that at least one of us already read so that we'll know if it's any good." We all agreed.

"I think I found the best book," I announced.

"Let's hear it," Marianne said.

"Memoirs of a Geisha," I said.

"I love that book! I don't mind reading that again," Sabrina said.

"I have the DVD so we don't even need to rent it," Marianne said.

"Then it's settled," Alice finalized our group choice, "Memoirs of a Geisha it is. So how are we going to start with this? I think we should read the book right away so we could watch the movie and write the essays. Mr. Thomas said that the essays are due second week of February but the sooner we start, the faster we'll finish."

"Sounds good. While reading, we should take notes on what we think about the book and stuff," Sabrina suggested.

"Or we could do like per chapter summary and review," Marianne said.

"I think that's the easiest way. At least in the end, we could just connect our reviews and summaries for the essay," I said.

"This is going to be a breeze," Alice chimed and we agreed.

"So, do you know any other songs?" Sabrina asked.

We sang a few songs and ate snacks before we called it a day. Our school friends left and as soon as we were sure that they were a few blocks away, Granma cleaned up the dining room and kitchen in vampire speed. The house was once again spotless in less than two minutes.

"I should get going. I'll tell the others they're clear to go back," Jacob said as he headed out the door. His hand was already on the knob when he turned around. "Nessie," he called and I turned to see why he called me. "You should sing around us more often; you have a very beautiful voice."

"You're just saying that because my mom fed you," I said.

"You really should hear yourself sing; it's really moving," he winked.

"Thanks," I smiled. He turned and left.

"Look at her blush," Alice teased when we heard the jeep drive away.

"Shut up," I said and turned to grab my guitar. I heard Alice, Mom and Granma chuckled as I went up to my room with a sweet smile on my face.

--

A/N: What do you think about the small interactions between Jacob and Nessie?

Broken Strings link in my profile.

Next update will be some time next week. I haven't started the next chapter yet; I'm still on plotting stage.


	35. Hang Out

A/N: Thanks to all you posted their reviews, Super close to 200 mark! Thanks also to those who added this story and me in their Alerts and Favorites lists. Lots of comments about the interaction between Jacob and Nessie so I'm really gonna try to put much more of those in the story.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

If felt like heaven. I couldn't take the silly grin off my face that was caused my Jacob's little comment about my singing. My family and friends complimented me that I sounded good, but when Jacob said it, it felt more special.

I was in deep thought that I didn't hear the others arrived. All of a sudden, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I called out. It was my dad. "How was your day at the pack's house?"

"It was fine; just the regular video games. Rosalie was a little bored since Leah had to go to work and there was no other female in the house," dad answered. "How about you; how did the project go?"

"Good. We agreed on the book to read and we're going to meet again once we're done so we could watch the movie together."

"I heard you sang some songs."

"Yeah, we did. It was fun to sing with other people," I smiled.

"Who's Ken?" dad asked and I was surprised. My aunts and mom never mentioned Ken around my uncles, Grandpa and especially around dad. I was pretty sure that Granma wouldn't have said anything either.

"Did Jacob tell you about him?" I asked. Jacob was the only person I thought would rat me out on my dad.

"No, he didn't. He didn't have to say anything, though," dad answered and tapped on his head. Damn mind-reader.

"Ken is Sabrina's older brother. He goes to Hanover High, Senior. He went with Sabrina earlier."

"He likes you," dad said. It was not a question.

"How'd you even know? Never mind. And yeah, he likes me, but I already told him that we're just friends," I said.

"Jacob doesn't seem too pleased seeing him here."

"Jacob is just as uninvited as Ken was."

"Just be careful with 'friends,' Renesmee. I don't want anybody getting hurt."

"Dad, I'm three years old. Don't you think 'boys' are a bit early for my age?" I teased.

"In human years, yes, you are three, but physically, you're eighteen. Mentally, you're probably just as old as me," he said.

"Dad, you're so old! Don't compare me to you," I joked. I hugged him. "I understand what you're saying dad. I really made it clear with Ken that we're just friends."

"And Jacob?"

"What about him? We're friends; I'm a sister to him," I said. He nodded and kissed me on the top of my head and headed out.

"Sister to him," I mumbled to myself. I was left to myself to wonder when that would change.

--

The rest of the weekend quickly passed. Monday morning started as usual. Like my daily routine, I got up, took a shower, ate breakfast and drove with Alice to school. Like always, Ken was waiting for us; he looked nervous.

"Good morning," I greeted him.

"Hey, Ness, Alice. How's your weekend?" he asked.

"Great! You were there, too," Alice said.

"So, uhm, after we left, did you jam some more?" Ken asked.

"No, we didn't. Jacob left right after you guys did," I answered. He relaxed a bit.

"Oh, okay. Here, let me take your bags," he grabbed my bag and Alice's and walked in front of us. I looked at Alice who was controlling her laughter.

"See you at lunch," Ken said when we reached our classroom. I nodded and he left.

When he was out of hearing distance, Alice and I giggled while we sat beside Marianne. "What?" she asked.

"Ken," I answered.

"What about him?" Marianne asked.

"He looked anxious when we got here. He asked how's our weekend; he wanted to know if we sang some more after you guys left," I explained.

"When Nessie said that Jacob left right after you guys did, I think it was the first time he actually breathed," Alice laughed.

"He was complaining in the car why we had to leave while Jacob was still there. Sabrina said that Jacob is a family friend so he might be staying for a while. Ken was so mad, he was silent the whole trip home," Marianne giggled.

--

Ten minutes before our English class was over, Mr. Thomas told us to sit together with our group. "Who already have a book picked out for the project?" he asked with his hand raised. The whole class raised their hands. "Very good," he said. "Let's hear what you're working on."

"Atonement." "Pride and Prejudice." "Da Vinci Code." "Memoirs of a Geisha." "The Zodiac."

"I'm impressed with your choices, especially the non-fiction," Mr. Thomas said and nodded his head towards Nate's group who answered 'The Zodiac.' "It's not required, but if you want to submit your first draft, you can do so in mid-January. Give me three days to review and I would return it to you. There's no added or deducted point if you submit a draft. In two weeks, we're off for the holidays. I know nobody wants to do school work during vacation, but it would be good to at least finish the book by then so you could start on your essays." The class nodded in agreement. "If you don't have any questions, class dismissed."

--

While we were eating in the cafeteria, Ken asked our plans for the holidays.

"Are you going to be in town or are you heading back to Alaska?" he asked.

"We'll be here," Alice answered.

"Great, so can we hang out?" he asked.

"Well," I started to say but Ken cut me off.

"Don't worry; it's not like a date. Just friends hanging out," he explained quickly.

"I was going to say that we'll be in town but our relatives are coming over so we won't be able to hang out," I said.

"Oh, okay," Ken said and slumped his shoulders.

"There, there, lover boy," Sabrina said as she patted his shoulders.

"Shut up," Ken shrugged off Sabrina's hand and we laughed.

"How about you guys? What are your plans for the holidays?" I asked.

"We'll be in town except for New Year's. My mom finally gave in, we're going to New York for the countdown," Marianne squealed in excitement.

"That sounds like fun," Alice said.

"It's going to be my first time so it's gonna be great," Marianne said.

"How about you?" I asked Sabrina and Ken.

"Just at home with some relatives. For New Year's, we're going across town for the party. Our relatives live all around town so there's not much excitement," Sabrina said.

--

The week quickly went back to routine; practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays except on game days. Our team was doing well and Coach Noble said we definitely had a chance to make it to the semi-finals round.

My mom and dad got to watch a weeknight game since once of their instructors was out of town for a conference. It was great to celebrate with them after the game, although the celebration didn't officially start until we got to the car. We were still avoiding any strange glances from my schoolmates after that one instance that some people noticed said that I looked like both my sister and her boyfriend. We didn't want to have another encounter like that.

Our teachers went over the rest of their syllabus for the end of the year so that we could start the new topic for next year. A lot scheduled tests before of the holidays which made the students quite unhappy. For me, it didn't matter if we had any tests or not. I already knew all the materials taught in school, and more, thanks to my family who home-schooled me.

--

Only two weeks left in December before the winter break and I was looking forward to seeing Grandpa Charlie. It was only a year ago when I last saw him, but he would have a shock of his life as soon as he sees me. My parents told me the shock that Grandpa had when he first met me. In time, he put the puzzle together and figured out what my dad's family were; what my mom turned into. It was something that he still dismissed from time to time, but he was a smart man, he knew it was the truth.

They were scheduled to arrive a few days before Christmas and they would leave after the New Year. My mom showed me pictures of Granma Renee, but unfortunately, I would never meet her. It would be hard to explain to her our situation; she was not as open-minded as Grandpa Charlie. Too bad, she seemed to be an interesting person to meet. This year, she wouldn't be able to visit Hanover since Phil has prior commitment.

This year, Grandpa Charlie would be flying with Grandma Sue, Billy, Rachel and Paul. They were scheduled to arrive on the 20th, while Tanya would be flying with Embry, and scheduled to arrive the day after. This would be Tanya and Embry's first time to visit us and it would be great seeing them again. I haven't seen them since summer last year. They, too, would be shocked to see how much I changed. Last time they saw me, I looked an eight year old girl.

--

On our last day of school before the winter break, Marianne, Sabrina, Alice and I met up after school. Ken was also there.

"So, we'll see each other next year then," I said.

"Really no chance of hanging out?" Ken asked.

I was about to say something but Alice cut me off, "Ken, I really like you, but you're starting to get a bit annoying."

"Plans change, right? I'm just making sure," Ken said. We all rolled our eyes at him and laughed at the same time.

"No change of plans, Ken. We'll see you, like the rest of the girls, next year," I said and hugged him, Marianne and Sabrina.

"Make sure to finish reading the book so we could meet up as soon as we get back from the holidays," Marianne reminded and we bid our goodbyes.

--

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. The next chapter will be about the visit of the relatives and gifts.


	36. Gifts

A/N: Yay, more than 200 reviews! Please keep them coming!

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

Grandpa Charlie, Grandma Sue, Billy, Rachel and Paul were scheduled to arrive today. My parents made sure to give them a heads up before they left Forks. "We didn't want them to have a heart attack when they see you," mom teased.

Mom, dad, Jacob and Seth went to the airport to pick our family up. Leah and I helped Granma in the kitchen as she prepared food. She loved having humans around the house; it gave her an excuse to cook a lot of food and make use of her kitchen gadgets. Alice and Rosalie busied themselves bossing around their husbands in putting up decorations all around the house. Grandpa Carlisle stayed out of their way and hung out with us in the kitchen.

--

"We're home," dad announced and my body stiffened.

Leah patted my shoulder, "It's going to be okay. They'll be surprised, but in a good way." She smiled and I couldn't help but smile with her.

"Good to see you again, Charlie," I heard Grandpa Carlisle greet Grandpa Charlie.

"Always a pleasure, Carlisle," he answered back.

"Mom!" Leah greeted when she left the kitchen.

While everything greeted one another, I stayed in the kitchen.

"Where is my granddaughter?" Grandpa Charlie asked and my breath quickened.

"Remember, dad, Renesmee looks so much different from the last time you saw her. She grew a lot more than she used to," my mom reminded my grandfather. I didn't hear him respond so he probably just nodded his head.

Alice entered the kitchen, "It's going to be okay, Nessie. I've seen it; it's a little blurry with the werewolves around but it's going to be fine." She wrapped her arm around my waist to lead me to the living room. I took a deep breath before I walked out of the kitchen. I heard gasps all around the room.

"Nessie?" Grandpa Charlie asked when he saw me. I simply nodded. "Come here, angel," he said and opened his arms. I slowly ran to him; I didn't want to knock him out.

"Grandpa," I said and hugged him.

"Your mother wasn't exaggerating when she said you grew a lot more than the last time," he chuckled and unwrapped his arms around me. "Let me take a look at you," he said as he put his hands on my shoulders.

"You must be breaking a lot of hearts," Grandma Sue teased.

"Grandma Sue," I hugged her. "Is it still okay to call you Grandma? I mean I look just a little younger than Seth."

"Esme looks younger than me and you call her Granma; don't worry about it," Grandma Sue said and squeezed me once more. I hugged Rachel and nodded at Paul. Paul wasn't into hugging vampires and I couldn't blame him. It was natural in his werewolf nature.

"You must be hungry. Leah and Granma prepared a feast," I said and we all went to the dining room. My vampire family served the food while the humans, and werewolves, ate. It was one big happy beyond normal family.

--

The next day, Embry and Tanya arrived and I was greeted with the same shock like the others yesterday. However, it was a lot easier to explain to both of them.

We updated everyone with what was going on in our lives. Leah was promoted at work; Seth and Jacob continued studying. My parents were almost done with their undergraduate degrees and would be enrolling for Masters next year. We told them about me and Alice going to school, our human friends, and that I was in the volleyball team.

They asked about how I could play with humans without hurting them and I told them that Uncle Emmett trained me to control my strength.

"Emmett, huh?" Tanya mused.

"That's what we all thought, too, but it worked. The bear knows what he's talking about," Rosalie joked and we all laughed. Uncle Emmett was never the serious type and always boasted about his strength. It was really a surprise that he was the one who taught me about controlling my strength.

--

The celebration was in full swing for the holidays. The house was filled with the smell of hot apple cider, pine tree, homemade cookies, pot roast and ham. Everyone stayed in our house rather than going back and forth between ours and the packs house like the last time. We were all comfortable in being together. Even Paul lightened up when Embry arrived.

Underneath the tree was a lot of boxes. My family was very big in gift giving. However when the time came, I was surprised that when they divided the boxes, I only got two.

"Alice, are you sure I only have two?" I asked.

"Yes, Nessie, I looked at all the tags and that's all you have," she answered.

I was not a materialistic girl, but I have gotten used to getting gifts from everyone in my family so I found it weird that I only had two gifts. The others already opened their gifts. Some were tickets for vacation, pair of expensive shoes, new video games and other random gifts.

"Aren't you going to open your gifts?" dad asked. I was the only one who hadn't opened anything.

"Open this first," Alice grabbed the two boxes from my lap and handed me the bigger box.

"Who is it from?" mom asked.

"To Nessie - From your family in Forks and La Push," I read the tag.

"That includes me and Leah," Seth announced.

I ripped the wrapper and I was ecstatic with what I saw. "It's a cell phone!" I jumped up and hugged all our visitors, even Paul, who didn't seem to mind me hugging him this time. I turned to Seth and Leah and gave them both quick hugs as well. "Thank you very much," I said, "Dad won't let me have one so thank you, really." Everyone laughed at my last comment.

Alice handed me the other box, "Here you go."

"To Renesmee - From the Cullens," it read. I shook the box. "I know the country's in recession, but I didn't expect it to affect vampires," I joked and everyone laughed. I shook it one more time as I tried to figure out what was inside.

"Just open it already," Uncle Emmett exclaimed impatiently. I ripped the ribbon and wrapper. It was a small white box. I looked at my family and no one was giving me any hint. I lifted the top and saw a key and a remote with VW on it. "No!" I said wide-eyed. I looked at my family; they had big smiles on their faces. "No way, no way," I jumped and shrieked.

"Do you want to at least know where it is?" Granma asked.

"Yeah!" I couldn't stop jumping.

Everyone got up and Uncle Jasper led the way to the garage. Parked in the middle was a purple Volkswagen Beetle. I didn't know when they parked it there because I haven't been to the garage since our vacation started.

"I can't believe you got me a car!" I shrieked again. I kissed each member of my family; Alice was the last. "That's why you asked me what car I wanted."

"If I had my way, I would've gotten you a Mustang," she said and I hugged her. We all walked back to the living room.

"A car and a cell phone, what a combination. I'm fine getting two gifts each year if it's as great as these," I said as I held the phone and the keys in my hand. "Whose idea were these?"

"Mine," Jacob said.

"Then I should be thanking you too," I smiled at him.

"No, it was just the idea. I wasn't part of the buying. They took care of that." He took out a box from his pocket, "This is my gift to you."

"Hey, you're supposed to put all the gifts under the tree," Uncle Emmett said but Jacob ignored him.

I took the gift from Jacob's hand and opened it. I smiled when I saw what it was. I felt tears pooled in my eyes; I blinked them back.

_Jacob, thank you_, I projected my thought to him. He smiled and nodded at me.

"Care to share?" mom said.

I lifted the gift from the box, "It's a digital voice recorder."

"Awww," Alice, Granma and my mom all sighed together. Dad chuckled.

"What am I missing?" Rosalie asked.

"Remember when you went to the pack's house? We sang some songs with Marianne, Sabrina and Ken. Jacob said that Nessie should hear herself because she didn't believe Jake when he said that she has a beautiful voice," Alice said.

"And now she can," mom said with a smile.

--

At the end of the day, I was tired. We told our visitors about my new power and I practiced with them. Grandpa Charlie didn't want to participate at first, but Grandma Sue and Billy convinced him. He then found my power quite interesting. We practiced longer projections which usually tire me out a lot faster.

I excused myself from everyone and headed to my room. I laid on my bed and felt my pockets. I took out the cell phone and car keys from one and put it on the side table. In my other pocket, I pulled out the voice recorder and felt something attached at the back that I didn't notice earlier. A piece of paper was taped on it:

_Play me when you're alone _

I sat up and opened my drawer where I kept my mp3 player. I didn't want anyone else to hear what was pre-recorded; whatever it was, it was intended only for me. I detached the earphones from my mp3 player and hooked it on the voice recorder. I took a deep breath before I pressed play. My heart melted when I heard Jacob's voice.

_Hi, Nessie. Uhm, I don't really know what to say right now, but I hope that you like my gift. I'm recording this before I give it to you so I don't know what your reaction is going to be, but I really hope that you'll like it. Remember I told you that you should hear yourself sing so you'll know how good you are, so here's a recorder. I also inserted a memory card on the slot so you'll have more space to record. If you don't like what you recorded, don't throw the memory card, just give it to me, I'll be happy to give you a new one. I'll keep the one you recorded on. Okay, I'm starting to sound like a sappy dog so I'm gonna stop now._

There was a pause. I was about to press stop when I heard his voice again.

_Oh yeah, by the way, I took the liberty on putting a song in here. Don't worry, it's not me singing. I actually downloaded the song for you. _

I thought my heart melted when I heard his message. It was nothing compared to the emotions I felt when I heard the song he downloaded.

_When the rain is blowing in your face  
And the whole world is on your case  
I could offer you a warm embrace  
To make you feel my love_

_When the evening shadows and the stars appear  
And there is no one there to dry your tears  
I could hold you for a million years  
To make you feel my love_

_I know you haven't made your mind up yet  
But I would never do you wrong  
I've known it from the moment that we met  
No doubt in my mind here you belong_

_I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue  
I'd go crawling down the avenue  
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do  
To make you feel my love_

_The storms are raging on the rolling sea  
And on the highway of regret _

_though winds of change are throwing wild and free  
You ain't seen nothing like me yet_

_I could make you happy, make your dreams come true  
Nothing that I wouldn't do _

_Go to the ends of the Earth for you  
To make you feel my love_

I didn't know at what point I closed my eyes. When the song ended, I opened my eyes and my face was wet with tears. Jacob didn't say anything to me about his feelings, but this song was good enough for me…for now.

--

A/N: Anybody else falling in love with Jacob aside from me?

The picture of the VW Beetle in is my profile.

I just have to put the song 'To Make You Feel My Love' in this story because I fell in love with it. The version that's popular right now is by Adele, but if you watch American Idol 2009, Kris Allen, one of the guys, sang the song during the Country Week and it was really good. It's his version that I posted in my profile, rather than the Garth Brooks or Billy Joel version.

Next update will be some time next week since I'm going to be out of town for the next few days.


	37. Saved by the Teacher

A/N: You guys are great! Thanks for the review and as always, keep them coming…good or bad. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Jacob and Nessie will not be together just yet. Sorry, I know a lot of you are waiting for that to happen, but there's still something in store for them. Besides, I don't want to totally crush Ken's heart.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

The next few days were a bit chaotic at home. I didn't get a chance to talk to Jacob after I heard his pre-recorded message. Our families from Washington were occupying a lot of my family and the pack's time that it was hard to get a time alone with him.

Grandpa Carlisle also took advantage of my vacation to continue my telepathic training. Like Jacob said before, he was always around when I trained since I told him about passing out. It was a bit nerve wrecking to know that he was around; it made me a bit conscious. Having a lot of audience didn't help either. I was grateful for Uncle Jasper's gift that made me calm every time I was a bit nervous.

"Nessie, are you ready for today?" Grandpa Carlisle asked. We were outside and my vampire family and the werewolves, except for Jacob and my mom, were spread around the forest, varying in distance. Dad was settled near me, close enough to hear both my thoughts and my intended mind-listener.

"What are we doing today?" I asked Grandpa as I settled in the middle of everyone. The humans were seated on the side and gathered together as they watched the training session. Since we already knew that my power worked on humans, we left them out of the training. We all felt that it was better to have them closer in the middle so that if anything happens, it would be easier to protect them if they were in the same location.

"Try switching your thoughts quickly around everyone. I want to know if there's any delay," Grandpa Carlisle instructed.

"Okay, uhm, just random things?" I asked. Grandpa nodded and I turned to my dad to wait for his signal that his head was clear.

"Clear your heads. Don't answer out loud, just in your heads, and keep it short. Nessie needs to switch around quickly and I need to make sure your reactions will match what she said," dad announced. He nodded at me and I started projecting thoughts.

_Alice, I read Memoirs of a Geisha like ten times already and edited my review at least five times._

_Rosalie, are you going to do anything to my Beetle or you already did your magic?_

_Uncle Emmett, when are you watching my next game?_

_Tanya, how are the others doing?_

_Leah, learned new recipes lately?_

"How did I do?" I asked my dad after the first set of thoughts I projected.

"Really good; you switch really fast that I have two or three answers in my head while you're asking the next set," dad answered.

"Impressive," Grandpa Carlisle said.

"Does she do this a lot?" I heard Grandpa Charlie asked my mom while Grandpa Carlisle was taking notes.

"The training? No, just when she has spare time. She doesn't usually project her thoughts since we don't want her causing trouble 'outside'," mom explained.

"She really is a very special young lady," Sue said but it was not addressed to my mom. From where I was standing, it looked like she said it to Jacob. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination since I didn't know why Sue would say that to Jacob.

"Nessie," I heard my dad call me.

"Yes, dad?" I asked. He was shaking his head. He must have read my thoughts when I was wondering earlier.

"Stop over analyzing things," he simply said and smiled. Of all the powers out there, my dad got mind-reading. How inconvenient!

"I wonder what else we should try," Grandpa Carlisle's voice brought me out of my daze.

"How about moving target?" Uncle Jasper suggested from afar.

"Not a bad idea," Grandpa Carlisle said. "We need you to move around, but not so fast. Let's keep this simple for now." I heard shuffling sound from the woods; everyone must have started moving already.

_You really think I could do this?_ I asked my dad through my thoughts. I didn't want anybody else to know that I was having self-doubt. Dad nodded at me. I took a deep breath and concentrated.

"We're getting tired moving around, you know," I heard Seth shout from the forest.

_Oh, shut it. I'm still concentrating, _I thought in my head.

"Ohhh, Nessie's getting feisty," Seth laughed. I looked at my dad; we were both confused.

"What am I missing?" Grandpa Carlisle asked.

"How did you do that?" dad asked.

"I don't know. I was still trying to formulate a thought in my head then he answered," I said.

"Gather 'round," Grandpa Carlisle called out and everyone met up with us.

"What happened?" Jacob asked.

"I think Nessie's power just got a lot stronger in the last hour that we were training," dad said. "Earlier, she managed to switch targets quickly. Just a minute ago, she managed to project thoughts to Seth without saying his name. She just concentrated on what he said."

"This is getting better and better," Alice chimed.

"Yes, but now, angel, you have to be more careful than before," mom warned and I nodded.

"I think that's enough training for now. Humans have to eat, vampires need to hunt," Granma Esme announced and we all went inside. After Granma served our food, she and the rest of my vampire family excused themselves to go hunting. I hadn't gone hunting since winter break since we had human visitors and it would be impolite to leave them without a host. Not that I was complaining, my mom and Granma always cooked a feast each day for all of our visitors to enjoy.

--

Three weeks break from school was not enough time to spend with my family. The days quickly passed and then it was time for our visitors to go.

"We'll see you in a few months," Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Sue said as they both hugged me.

"Can't wait for summer," I said and kissed them both on the cheeks before letting go. I hugged everyone else, including Paul, who did not shrug after I hugged him. Last to say goodbye was Tanya and Embry.

"I'll tell the others to come down to Forks this summer so we could have a little get together when you go home for vacation," Tanya said.

"I'm looking forward to that," I said with a smile.

Our visitors loaded Jacob, Leah and my parents' vehicles. It would be a few months before I would see them again, but it would not be so long and I had something to look forward too.

--

"Nessie! Alice!" Ken greeted as he ran up to Alice and I as soon as he saw us walking. "I didn't know it was you. New car?" he asked. Since I got my Beetle, Alice and I agreed that I would be driving to school from now on.

"Yeah; gift from my family," I answered. I remembered the gifts I got aside from that; a cell phone from my family in Forks and La Push and the voice recorder from Jacob. Both of these gifts never left my pockets since I got them.

"Nice," Ken commented which brought me back from my daze. "My parents promised me a brand new car after graduation."

"You won't have to wait too long, then," I said as he grabbed our bags.

--

"How's your vacation?" Marianne asked Alice and me after giving us a quick hug. The whole classroom was buzzing with students talking about what they did over the winter break.

"We had a full house and Nessie got a car," Alice said.

"No way!" Marianne shrieked. "What kind?"

"A purple Beetle," I smiled.

"How cute!"

"And I'm going to need your number again so I could save it on my," I said then pulled out something from my pocket, "cell phone."

"Oh, you suck! You have so many cool gifts! My cell is old but my mom won't buy me a new one yet," Marianne said.

"It pays to have a large family. I only got two gifts but they totally rock," I said.

"You forgot about your third gift," Alice teased.

"What is it?" Marianne asked but before Alice could tell her anything, Miss Cheung entered the classroom and started the lesson for the day.

--

"Hey," Sabrina greeted us when we entered our English classroom. "Marianne was just giving me some info about your gifts," she said to me.

"What was the third gift?" Marianne asked.

"It's not just the what, it's also from whom," Alice teased.

_Stop it already_, I said to Alice in my head. She just rolled her eyes on me.

"Was it from Jacob?" Sabrina squealed. Alice nodded.

"Details!" Marianne demanded but I was saved by the teacher again; Mr. Thomas called the class in order.

The class went faster than I hoped for and I knew that Marianne would bug me as soon as we were out of the door. "Don't spill any details until lunch, I want to hear it at the same time," Sabrina said as she dashed out of the classroom after English. Marianne, Alice and I walked to our History class; Marianne didn't ask for any info about the third gift. I wanted the hour to pass as slowly as possible so that I wouldn't have to deal with the interrogating party at lunch.

--

I dragged myself to the cafeteria after History. Sabrina and Ken were waiting for us at our usual table and waved us over. It looked like they had enough food for four; they must have bought extra food for me and Marianne so that we would have more time to chat.

"I wasn't sure what you want to eat today, so we just took almost one of each," Sabrina said as she patted the space beside her for me to sit on.

"Sabrina was babbling about gifts you received for Christmas. I told her I saw the car," Ken said. "Then she mentioned something about a cell phone so I was wondering if I could get your number."

"I guess," I shrugged my shoulder and Ken took out his phone so that I could enter my number on his.

"So, what's the third gift?" Marianne asked.

"You said she only had two," Ken said to Sabrina.

"Two from her family. Jacob gave her a separate gift," Sabrina said. Though it was low, I heard Ken groan.

"He gave me a voice recorder," I finally told them with hopes that this part of the conversation would end. I hoped in vain.

"What so special about a voice recorder?" Ken snorted.

"I don't get it either," Marianne said.

"When you went to our house and sang with Nessie, Jacob told her that she was good. Nessie, here, said that Jacob was just saying that because Aunt Esme fed him, then he said that she should hear herself sing, hence the voice recorder," Alice explained.

_You're so not helping!_ I screamed in Alice's head. She flinched, but the others didn't notice.

"Oh, that's sweet. He's a really big fan of your beautiful voice," Sabrina cooed.

"Have you recorded anything yet?" Ken asked; his voice was bitter.

"Yeah, just one song," I answered truthfully.

"Can we hear it?" Marianne requested.

"Play it, Nessie," Alice said. "I haven't heard it yet either."

I pulled out the voice recorder from my pocket and pulled out the earphones from the jack. I carefully chose Track 3 so that they wouldn't hear the message from Jacob and the song that he downloaded for me.

"What song did you record?" Ken asked.

"It's the first song I learned to play. 'You were meant for me' by Jewel." I placed the player on the table and we all leaned in so we could hear the song.

"I think I've heard this song before," Sabrina said and Marianne nodded.

"Turn it up a bit," Alice requested.

_You can hear it perfectly fine_, I snapped at her. She stuck her tongue at me. I turned the volume up a little bit, but still low enough so that only the five of us could hear.

"I wish you had that when we were singing last time. At least you'll have something to remember me by as well," Ken sighed. I felt bad for him. I knew how much he liked me and I didn't want to lead him on. He was a great friend and he knew that that was all he was for me.

"Maybe next time," I said and smiled at him.

"Looking forward to it," he beamed with a smile that didn't reach his ears like it normally did.

--

A/N: It's not a very good chapter. I just needed to make Nessie's power better for later.


	38. Movie

A/N: As always, thank you for all the reviews and constructive criticism. Lots of adds for Author and Story Alert, thanks!

In response to unregistered readers:

Zac Lover – there would be more chapters coming. I haven't decided how I was going to end this story, but there's a bunch of chapters coming

Di - the sob is tearless; basically the sound of crying but dry of tears. I hope that was clear.

Okay, let's get this show on the road…

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

Since Jacob and Seth started going back to school a week before Alice and I did, Jacob had been busy with his studies. He had hands on training on the actual automobiles on weekends that he didn't have anymore time to visit us in our home. Seth's schedule was more flexible since his training was on computers which he could do at home. Since Leah got promoted to Branch Manager, she was not as busy as she was before. Leah and Seth managed to visit us during the weekends. They said they could watch my games as soon as it resumes, but they doubt that Jacob could join them. My heart sank.

I decided not to dwell too much on Jacob's absence; he already occupied my dreams at night. I focused more on my studies and volleyball practices. Coach Noble was excited since the last time the team looked like it would make it to the finals was three years ago, when Jean first came on board.

--

"We're caught up with the syllabus, so instead of a class discussion, today, you are going to have a group meeting so sit with your group mates," Mr. Thomas announced as soon as he entered the classroom. "Next Friday is the last day to submit any essay that you want me to look at so if you want to do that, make sure you have it ready by then."

The whole class shuffled around to sit with their respective groups. Marianne, Sabrina, Alice and I gathered by the window at the back of the class. "Did you bring your reviews for the book?" Marianne asked. We all flipped our binders and took out pieces of papers. "Wow, great minds think alike," when she saw the all of us ready with our papers.

"I think we should put this together this week, and then on Saturday, we could watch the movie together. If we do that, we could submit both essays for review," Sabrina suggested.

"Yeah, that would be great. Games won't resume until Friday, so we have tonight and Wednesday open to work on this," I said.

"I can't tonight," Sabrina said, "but Wednesday sounds good. Why don't you guys meet up and work on it. I'll give you my review them just incorporate it. Whatever you don't finish, we'll pick up on Wednesday."

"That could work, then on Saturday, let's work on the essay as soon as we finish the movie," Alice suggested and we all agreed.

"You want to meet up at my house?" Marianne asked.

"Sure, we'll just have to call Aunt Esme that we'll head to your house right after school," I said.

"Do you have the DVD?" Sabrina asked me and Alice. Alice nodded. We had a massive of DVD collection in the house; I was pretty sure we have Memoirs of a Geisha there somewhere. If not, we could easily swing by the store and buy one. "Good. I have it and Marianne has it so we could watch the movie ahead of time, review then we could watch it together again so we have a combined criticism. We could discuss while we watch the movie together so that we could voice out our opinions right away."

"I love our group. We're all so smart," Alice giggled.

"Couldn't agree more," Marianne said.

We started drafting the book review essay since we had forty five minutes left in class. We marked each others papers to see what part of each review would be put together in our combined work. When the bell rang, we handed all our reviews to Marianne who was our designated writer.

At the end of the day, Alice and I followed Marianne as she drove to her house. We worked on the draft for a few hours until we all agreed on how the essay would look like. Marianne agreed to type up the essay and would bring the rough draft tomorrow so we could all review it.

--

Marianne finished the essay and handed us our copies of the combined essay the next day. We didn't have a chance to discuss anything about it in class since Mr. Thomas resumed the class from where we left off in class the week before.

At lunch, we discussed about the essay. We didn't need to do anything with the rough draft since Marianne's writing was great. When we compared our reviews with what she wrote, it had bits and pieces of everyone's review. Sabrina suggested that we go to their house on Saturday since they had been to our house and we all had been to Marianne's house.

"That sounds great," I said.

"What sounds great?" Ken asked when he sat beside Sabrina. He took extra time picking what food to eat so we got to the table before he did.

"We're going to have our group meeting at the house on Saturday," his sister answered. Ken laughed. "What?" Sabrina asked her brother, annoyed.

"Unless you're planning to involve them in mom's 'book club,' I suggest you find another location," Ken said.

"Your mom's still into that?" Marianne asked.

"What book club?" Alice asked.

"My mom's obsessed with Oprah and she follows the books featured in the show. She met some women who also follow Oprah's book list so they formed a little book club and they are having a little group meeting in our house on Saturday. Ken and I always try to sneak out every time they have those meetings because my mom always makes us join the discussion. We don't even know what book they're reading right now," Sabrina said. "Sorry, our house is off limits on Saturday."

"We'll just do it at my house then," Marianne volunteered.

"You sure?" Sabrina asked.

"Yeah, no problem," Marianne said, then she faced Ken, "You can come, too."

"Thanks, Mar, you're a lifesaver," Ken said.

--

Friday came; the first game of the New Year. Coach Noble had been quite strict with our practices and made sure that the team was in ship-shape for all the games. The semi-finals were just around the corner and the whole team could feel both excitement and nerves for the upcoming games.

That night, Alice watched the game with Rosalie. It was nice to have my family watch my games; I appreciated their support, especially Uncle Emmett who was the reason I was allowed to join the team in the first place. It was just too bad that my family couldn't watch me play all at the same time.

I was seating on the sidelines when in the corner of my eye, I noticed someone beside Alice who I didn't notice earlier. He must have just arrived since I always looked at the direction of my aunts and I didn't see him there a few minutes ago. I had to take a second glance to make sure that my eyes were not playing games with me. Leah said that Jacob might not be able to watch my games, but here he was. Good thing he was talking to Rosalie and Alice and didn't notice me ogling from the court. I was brought back to reality when the whistle blew. "Nessie, you're up," Coach Noble said and I gladly complied.

The game lasted for three sets. The score kept going up since we needed to win by two points. It was longer than the normal games that we played before. I looked up where my aunts and Jacob were seated; my smile faltered when I noticed that Jacob was already gone. I looked away quickly before my aunts saw my mood change. I said goodbye to my teammates and walked out with my aunts.

"Was Jacob here?" I asked when I loaded my things in the car.

"You saw him?" Alice asked.

"Just a quick glance before Coach Noble called on me to sub," I answered as I sat at the backseat of Rosalie's car. Alice drove the Beetle home after school then she rode with Rosalie for the game. "When did he leave?" I couldn't help but ask.

"He just stopped by for about ten minutes. He just took a quick break from his group work to catch a glimpse of the game," Rosalie said.

"I see," I simply said and looked outside the window. I was missing Jacob more and more each day. I worn out his recording on the recorder that he gave me, but since it was the only way to hear his voice, I had to settle with it. Although he sent me text message everyday, it still wasn't the same as hearing his voice and talking to him in person.

My cell phone rang before we got to the house. It was Marianne.

"Hey, what's up?" I answered the phone.

"Nessie, sorry to call you, but I was about to watch Memoirs but our DVD player's not working. I tried to do the disk cleaner but it still won't work. Do you think it's okay if we watch at your house tomorrow?" Marianne answered frantically.

Alice was nodding from the front seat; she heard everything that Marianne said, thanks to her vampire hearing. "Marianne, don't worry about it. Just come by to the house around, say ten in the morning?"

"Thanks, Nessie. I'll call Sabrina," she said then she hung up.

"I can't believe I'll have to go to the 'dog' house again," Rosalie grunted. Alice and I laughed at her reference to the pack's house.

--

"What are you doing here?" I asked Jacob when he busted through our day the next morning.

"Well, good morning to you, too, Ness," Jacob pouted.

"Sorry. Good Morning, Jacob. What, may I ask, are you doing here? Don't you have some class work to do?"

"My group finished class work yesterday. I talked to Alice at the game last night and she said that Sabrina and Marianne are coming over, so I thought I'd drop by to say hi to them. I haven't seen them since the last they were here," he answered.

I glared at Alice. She already knew that Marianne would call about the DVD player even before it happened and decided to invite Jacob without telling me. It was great to see Jacob but not at the same time when my friends from school were about to arrive. To make matters worse, Ken was coming with them. Alice must have mentioned Ken to Jacob so he decided he would show up here again, unannounced.

Not long after Jacob arrived, the rest of my family left, except for Granma and my mom. Rosalie dragged Uncle Emmett to go hunting instead of going to the pack's house. We were scheduled to go hunting tomorrow anyway; Rosalie thought to go a day earlier.

--

A few minutes before ten, I heard a car approached our driveway. I peeked outside and sure enough, it was Marianne, Sabrina and Ken. I saw Ken eyeing Jacob's jeep. He must have noticed it the last time they were here. I opened the front door and quickly greeted everyone. "Hey guys!"

"Nessie, thanks for the last minute," Marianne apologized.

"Stop it; it's no big deal. Aunt Esme was happy when we told them about the change of plans. She's in the kitchen with Bella, getting our lunch ready," I said and led them to the living room.

Sabrina quickly noticed Jacob seated on the sofa, "Well, look who's here."

"Sabrina! Marianne!" Jacob exclaimed as he stood up. When he saw Ken, he just nodded at him. Ken returned the nod. I rolled my eyes; boys.

"I already set up the movie so we could just start. Since we already saw it, we could discuss while the movie is playing then we could sum it up later. What do you think?" Alice asked.

"Sounds good," Marianne said as she sat on the sofa. I was about to sit beside her when Jacob beat me to it then he patted his left side so I could sit on his left side while Marianne was on the right. Sabrina and Alice were seated on the love seat; both shook their heads while giggling. Ken didn't look too happy with our seating arrangement. He decided to sit on the arm of the sofa to my left. I knew just from looking at him that it wasn't a comfortable place to sit at.

"You can sit on the ottoman," Jacob pointed to the available seat near Marianne.

"I'm fine here, thanks," Ken grunted and focused on the TV. This was going to be a long movie.

--

A/N: The tension begins between Jacob and Ken. What will happen next?


	39. Just a Friend

A/N: For those who have questions, please make sure that you have a registered account so that I could answer your questions. Thanks for the reviews and add for favorite and alert.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

Not thirty minutes passed since we started the movie, I decided to move on the ottoman so that I was closer to Alice and Sabrina. We closely discussed over the movie. Marianne started leaning our direction before she decided to sit on the floor in front of us. Not long after, Ken slid off the arm of the sofa and sat where I was seated earlier. Jacob moved to the other end of the sofa. If we weren't concentrating in watching the movie, I was sure it would be a good laugh.

After the movie was over, we went to the dining room to eat lunch. Alice spread her food around her plate; we were busy discussing about the movie that our human visitors didn't notice that she never took a bite. Ken and Jacob did not join our discussion. They were busy glaring at each other.

"When I first saw the movie, I thought it was a bit weird that the guy was a lot older than her. But then again, he looks hot for his age," Marianne said.

"Oh yeah," the three of us agreed with her.

"I felt bad for her friend, Pumpkin," I said.

"Me, too. But she made me hate her in the end with what she did," Sabrina said and we all nodded our heads.

--

After lunch, mom and Granma picked up our plates and we headed to the living room. "I'll grab my laptop so we could finish this essay already," I said.

"I'll get it," Jacob volunteered. He went upstairs and disappeared in my bedroom.

"He knows his way around your bedroom?" Sabrina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's been there before," I said nonchalantly. I saw the suspicious look between Marianne and Sabrina. Ken was shooting daggers at my bedroom door. "Oh, not like that!" I shrieked when I realized how my reply sounded like.

"You sure?" Marianne teased and Ken jabbed his elbow to her. "Ow! I was just kidding, geez!"

"Not funny," Ken grunted.

Jacob appeared out of my room with my laptop and my guitar. "I took the liberty of bringing your guitar as well," he said.

"Oh, cool!" Sabrina said.

"Do you mind if I play with your guitar for a while?" Ken asked.

"Go ahead. We need to get this essay over with," I said and the four of us gathered by the coffee table. Jacob moved the ottoman so what when he sat, he would be directly in front of me. I had to look down so I wouldn't get distracted. It wasn't much of a help since I could see his big form, but at least he wouldn't see how much I was blushing since he was looking intently my way.

--

After two hours or so, we finished our essay. We went through three different drafts before we got the final essay out. Ken gave up on my guitar an hour before, but Jacob stay seated on his place while flipping through Rosalie's car magazines.

"Jamming time!" Sabrina exclaimed.

"Finally," Ken said and stretched his hand to grab my guitar and handed it to me.

"So, what are we singing today?" I asked around.

"I have a request," Sabrina said. "Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat." I smiled at Sabrina's request. This was the second song I secretly dedicated to Jacob. I was going through the lyrics in my head when Sabrina interrupted my thoughts, "But, Ken doesn't know the lyrics to that song."

"How is that going to work then? It's a duet," Marianne said.

"I know the lyrics," Jacob said. I was surprised; I never thought that Jacob was into pop music. "But I'm afraid I'm no singer."

"You can't be that bad," Marianne said.

"I never heard him sing, Marianne. Maybe he is that bad," Alice teased and we all laughed.

"Just sing with Nessie. Pleaseeeeee," Sabrina pleaded.

"It's your eardrums," Jacob chuckled. Ken grunted.

"You ready?" I asked Jacob and he nodded. I strummed the chords and braced myself when I got to the part of Jason Mraz. Jacob started singing.

_Do you hear me, I'm talking to you _

_Across the water, across …_

I was surprised when I heard Jacob's voice. He was not as good as Ken, but he wasn't so bad. I wouldn't join any contest, if I was him, but I would definitely sing with friends. I must have stopped strumming because he stopped singing in middle of the next line.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked Jacob.

"You stopped playing," he answered.

"I'm sorry. I remembered something," I lied but I was quick to distract them. I pulled out the recorder from my pocket and set it in the middle of the coffee table. Jacob smiled when he saw what I did. "Let's start over," I said and strummed from the beginning.

_Do you hear me, I'm talking to you _

_Across the water, across the deep blue ocean_

_Under the open sky, oh my baby, I'm trying_

It was my turn to sing and I had to look anywhere but Jacob.

_Boy, I hear you in my dreams_

_I feel you whisper across the sea_

_I keep you with me in my heart_

_You make it easier when life gets hard_

I looked down at my fingers when I played the chorus. This was the part I truly dedicated to Jacob and singing this with him made my heart soar.

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend_

_Lucky to have been where I have been_

_Lucky to be coming home again_

_Ohhhhhoohhhooohh_

_They don't know how long it takes_

_Waiting for a love like this_

_Every time we say goodbye, I wish we had one more kiss_

_I'll wait for you I promise you, I will_

He sang the second voice in perfect timing. It felt like the song was meant for us to sing together.

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend_

_Lucky to have been where I have been_

_Lucky to be coming home again_

_I'm lucky we're in love in every way_

_Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed_

_Lucky to be coming home someday_

_And so I'm calling through the sea_

_To an island where we'll meet_

_You'll hear the music, feel the air_

_I'll put a flower in your hair_

_Through the breezes through the trees_

_Move so pretty you're all I see_

_As the world keeps spinning round_

_You hold me right here right no_

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend_

_Lucky to have been where I have been_

_Lucky to be coming home again_

_I'm lucky we're in love in every way_

_Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed_

_Lucky to be coming home someday_

_Ooohh ooohh ooohh ohhh_

_Ooohh ooohh ooohh ohhh_

Sabrina reached the Stop button on the recorder before bursting out with her giggles, "You have to send me a file of that recording. It was perfect!" Marianne, Alice, my mom, Granma and even Ken clapped their hands. Alice gave me a knowing look. I didn't have to tell her; she already knew that my heart was beating a hundred miles per hour after singing a song not only about falling in love with your best friend, but also singing it with the said best friend.

_Shut it_, I said to Alice through my thoughts.

_Whatever,_ she mouthed and rolled her eyes.

"You weren't that bad," Marianne teased Jacob. He smiled at her.

"You're really good," Ken complimented me.

"Thanks," I said.

"So, what else can you play?" Sabrina asked. I was about to answer when her cell phone beeped. "It's a text from my mom." She read the message and her face fell, "Sorry to cut our music session short but mom needs us to go home."

"Already?" Ken asked. He looked at his watch and it was already past four in the afternoon. "Her book club meeting's over. She probably needs help cleaning up," he said as he got up from the sofa.

"I guess that's our cue to go," Marianne said. "At least we're done with the essay."

"Yeah. We can submit both essays to Mr. Thomas on Monday," Alice said.

"Good to see you again, Jacob," Marianne said.

"Likewise," Jacob nodded his head.

We were standing by the door when Ken looked back at me. "Nessie, I, uh, well, I really didn't get a chance to talk to you, but I was wondering if you'll go to the prom with me?" he asked.

"The prom? When is it?" Alice asked with much gusto. That was the highlight of her high school life, every single one of them.

"Mid-May," Ken answered.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"He's a part of the Student Committee; he has inside information," Sabrina answered for him.

"I don't know the exact details yet, but I want to ask you already before any one else does," he said and I saw his eyes looked towards Jacob then quickly looked back at me.

"Well, since you're the first to ask, I guess I'll with you," I said. I heard Jacob growled from the living room but I paid him no attention

"That's great!" he exclaimed.

"See you on Monday," Sabrina, Marianne and Ken said before they left.

As soon as their car pulled out of the driveway, I heard Jacob exclaimed, "Why'd you say yes to him?"

"Excuse me?" I said.

"When Ken asked you to go to the prom with him, why'd you say yes to him?" Jacob asked again; his voice was a little louder this time. My mom, Granma and Alice were standing by the foyer. None of them intervened.

"He's a friend. He was the first to ask and I don't mind going with him so I don't see what the big deal is. It's just the prom," I answered calmly. I didn't want to lose my temper; it looked like he was losing his and I didn't want to be in the same level of tension as him.

"Didn't you think someone else might want to come with you? I mean, c'mon, the exact date and location are not even set yet, he goes around asking you already."

"I really don't see the big deal here, Jacob. It doesn't really matter if he asked me now or later when the information is out, I would have still said yes to him. He. Is. Just. A. Friend," I said, this time I couldn't help but raise my voice a little bit.

"A friend? More like a boyfriend," Jacob grunted. It was low that I wasn't sure if I heard it right.

"What did you just say?" I scowled at him.

"I said he was more like a boyfriend. He hangs around with you in school and he comes over with his sister as an excuse. That's more a boyfriend than a friend if you ask me," Jacob spat.

"Nobody asked you. I don't even know why I am explaining my decision to you," I sneered.

"Why don't you just admit it, then?"

"He is not my boyfriend and neither are you, so don't you go acting like a jealous one," I scowled at him. I quickly grabbed my laptop, voice recorder and guitar. I ran to my room and slammed the door. I placed my guitar on its stand and put my laptop on my desk. I almost threw the recorder out the window, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if it broke so I held it close to my heart. I sat on the floor. Tears fell from my eyes and I couldn't do anything to stop them.

I tried to listen on what was going on downstairs. Then I heard the door slammed. He didn't even attempt to apologize. He just left. He left and my heart shattered.

--

A/N: Please don't hate me…

Link for the song - see my profile


	40. Back to Normal

A/N: Thank you for not hating me, hahaha.

Wow, 250 reviews, yay! You guys are great!!!! I got too excited about the reviews that I managed to finish the chapter sooner. Let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

"Can I come in?" I heard from the other side of the door. My tears already subsided and I started studying in advance for my classes, not that I really needed to. I have read these books when I was two.

"Sure, mom," I replied.

The door opened and my mom swiftly glided to my side. "Renesmee, are you okay?" she asked with much sincerity in her eyes.

I smiled timidly, "I'm fine, mom."

"I never saw you lost control of your emotions like that," she said as she brushed off some hair from my face.

"Me neither. It's just that I couldn't believe him. The way he reacted was something else."

"Jacob's jealous of Ken," my mom said.

"Jealous of Ken? I've only known Ken, what, a few months? Jacob's my best friend, he knows that. Can't I have another guy friend aside from him?" I said while throwing my hands in the air.

"It's not your friendship with him that he's jealous of. It's his company," my mom said but I didn't quite understand. She must have noticed the puzzled look on my face because she explained, "Jacob was so used to being around you all the time. Because of school, he felt like he started to miss out on your life. And here comes Ken who gets to be with you in school. Him being your friend's brother only added to the things that make Jacob jealous. He felt like he was losing you."

"And he told you all of these?" I asked my mom. She nodded. "Argh! I can't believe that he told you but he didn't tell me. He was complaining how he was losing me as his best friend when he goes around and telling you all these."

"I'm one of his best friends, too, angel," mom pointed out.

"I know that, mom, but this is an issue between us. If he's so worried about losing my friendship, why didn't he talk to me about it? Instead, he ruined a moment with me and Ken and then going around telling you how he was hurt. Didn't he realize that he hurt me in the process?" I fought my emotions so that I wouldn't cry anymore. "He didn't even apologize," I muttered.

"He was pretty pissed and he couldn't bring himself to cool down. We tried to calm him but his emotions got the better out of him and he needed to get away or else he could have phased."

I didn't say anything. I was aware that werewolves were driven by their emotions, but I still felt that he shouldn't have acted the way he did. I excused myself from my mother, "I need to get back to my reading, mom." She simply nodded and kissed the top of my head before she left me alone in my room.

--

I slept early the night before. It was definitely out of character for me since I was so used to sleeping so late at night, but I didn't want to deal with my family. Uncle Jasper would probably feel the mixed emotions battling inside me; Rosalie would notice my long face; Dad might read my thoughts and Uncle Emmett would push me to the edge until I tell them what was going on in my head. No, I was not ready to face any of them.

I put on a happy face when I woke up this morning. I got ready for our hunt and met with my family downstairs. The others already left, except for Alice. "Please tell me you're not waiting for me to grill me about Jacob. I don't want to talk about it anymore," I groaned.

"Hey, that's your problem, not mine. I just want to talk to you about dress details," Alice giggled. She must have been thinking about it since yesterday and couldn't stop getting hyper.

"It's four months away, Alice," I said as we started running towards the forest. I felt bad for anybody who was left to hunt with me; I was not as fast as them. They had to slow down a bit so that I could keep up with the pace.

"Okay, fine, but we are definitely going to start looking at magazines before April," Alice said and I nodded in agreement. There was really no use arguing with Alice, she usually got her way with things.

--

"Hey!" Ken greeted Alice and me as soon as we got off my car. Rather than waiting by the building, he ran towards my car as soon as I parked in a spot.

"Hey yourself," I smiled.

"How was your Sunday?" he asked. If I was to tell the truth, I would just end up ranting about Jacob and how he hadn't contacted me since that dreadful argument we had Saturday when Ken asked me to go to the prom with him. Then I would complain on how Jacob told my mom how he was afraid of losing me as his best friend when he goes around telling his 'other' best friend about it. Then I would whine about how come Jacob got to keep his old best friend while I couldn't have another guy friend. No, I didn't think this was the kind of answer Ken was looking for.

"It was fine," I said with a half-hearted smile. I could feel that this would be a long day, just like yesterday, since it would be full of thoughts about Jacob and how he still didn't try to reconcile with me and how I had no intention of stepping down from my high horse because I didn't think I should be the one to apologize. He started the arguments so he should be the first to reconcile. I knew I was acting childish, but I didn't care.

"Are you planning to go to class or are you just going to stand there?" Alice asked. I noticed I stopped walking in the middle of the hallway. The classes hadn't even started yet and Jacob was already affecting my day.

"Sorry," I said and continued walking to our first period classroom. When we reached our classroom, Ken handed us our bags before he went to his class. Marianne greeted us with a big smile and I forced myself to smile so that she wouldn't notice my mood.

"I got the essays ready for Mr. Thomas later," she said and showed us the two-pocket folder that held our essays.

"Fancy, I like it," Alice said.

"That's exactly what Sabrina said when I showed it to her before class," Marianne said.

--

I was pretty much a zombie the whole day. I hid my sadness from my friends; it was not easy since they were laughing during lunch.

"Nessie, you haven't emailed me the file yet," Sabrina said.

"What file?" I asked before I took a sip from my soda.

"Your duet with Jacob," Sabrina said and the soda I just drank almost shot out of my nose. Of all the times someone would mention his name; it would be when I was trying to sip carbonated drink. I coughed uncontrollably while I tried drinking the soda down my throat. It hurt like hell. "Oh my, are you okay?" Sabrina asked while she panicked. I took a piece of napkin and covered my mouth. When I stopped coughing, I waved a finger at her as a signal to give me a minute.

"I'm fine," I coughed. Alice rubbed my back to make sure I was okay. "The soda decided to go the other way," I joked as I tried to clear my throat. "As for the file, I got busy yesterday. I'll email it to you when I get home."

--

The rest of the week passed without another incident. Sadly, it also passed without anything from Jacob, not a call, not a text message, not even a quick hello. Seth and Leah watched my game in mid-week, but no Jacob. Granma, Alice and mom never brought up the topic about Jacob at home.

I tried to keep myself busy by reading my books for school, three, four, five times; I kept on doing that over and over again. I pretty much memorized each page in every single one of them. I also re-read the books that we had in the library. I was sure that the other members of my family noticed my sudden interest in re-reading the books in the house but none of them voiced out anything. They didn't suspect that it was Jacob's doing at all since he had been busy with his school work that he didn't even have any time to spare to drop by the house and visit.

I learned to go by my day as if Jacob didn't exist in my life. He seemed to ignore my existence, I could do the same. The only messages I would get from him were forwarded joke text messages; not even hi or hello. I got used to blocking Jacob in my mind during the day, but the nights were tough. My dreams were filled with Jacob, but it was not like how it was before. Before our fight, my dreams were filled with happiness and satisfaction. Now, my dreams would start normal but would always end up with us fighting or drifting apart. There were some nights that I would wake up with a damp face from crying.

It took weeks before Jacob's forwarded messages stopped and went back to 'good morning,' 'how are you?' and 'take care.' It wasn't much, but it was a start. Deep inside, I was still a bit upset that he didn't even apologize for our fight, but at least now he was trying to reach out to me again. I would reply to him with simple hello, 'I'm doing good,' and 'you, too,' but nothing more than that. A part of me wanted to make things better between us but a greater part of me was scared that what if we had another fight; I didn't want to be so dependent on him. I spent more time with Rosalie and Alice instead. I was grateful to Alice that she didn't tell Rosalie anything about what happened. Rosalie was just happy that we started spending more time together. She missed hanging out with me since school started. To be honest, I also missed my godmother.

--

Jacob started watching some of my games again, but he never stayed to talk to me or Sabrina after the game. One Friday night, after the game, I was surprised when April shouted, "Hey, Jacob!" then waved her right arm wildly. I looked up and there he was leaning on his Jeep. He nodded towards April and the others.

April, Sabrina, Jean and Trish walked with me towards Jacob. "I haven't seen you in a while," Sabrina teased.

"I've been busy," he said as he rubbed his hand at the back of his neck.

"Looks like you two need some time alone," Trish teased and she dragged the other three towards the other side of the parking lot.

I didn't know what to say to him. This was the first time I faced him since that dreaded day some weeks ago. I looked around for my Beetle so that I could escape this awkward moment, but it wasn't there.

"Alice drove it home," he said as if he read my mind.

"Oh, okay," I said.

"Uhm, you hungry?" he asked and I nodded. "Wanna get something to eat?" I just shrugged my shoulders. "Hop on."

--

The drive was silent. We didn't even have the radio on to fill the void with. I looked outside the window and didn't say a word. He parked outside a diner and we walked inside. We sat in a booth and the waitress took our orders. We sat there and looked around except at each other. It took all my might to break the silence, so to speak.

_I don't know why you asked me to eat with you if you're not planning to talk anyway_, I said in my head.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," I exhaled.

"I'm talking about how I reacted back then," he said and I knew exactly what he was talking about. "I know I kinda over reacted. I just felt like I was slowly losing you…" My heart almost jumped out of my chest. I wanted to scream 'You will never lose me. I'm so in love with you!' But he ruined the moment by finishing his sentence, "…that I was losing my best friend." My heart went back inside my chest.

"That's what mom said. You should have just talked to me, you know. I'm your best friend after all," I said while I tried to hide my hurt feelings inside.

"I know, and I'm sorry I waited this long before I talked to you. I would've done it sooner if I wasn't too busy with school," he said.

"I've seen you in some games a few weeks back."

"Yeah, but Alice was always there. I was worried she'll break my neck," he laughed sheepishly. "Don't tell her that, though."

I smiled genuinely after weeks of smiling half-heartedly. "Let's just forget about the whole thing," I said.

"Only in one condition," he said.

"And what is that?" I asked.

"I'm escorting you to the prom," he said as a matter-of-factly.

"I'm still going to the prom with Ken, Jake. It'll be unfair to take it back."

"I know. I didn't say we'll go this year. I'm making sure nobody's going to ask ahead of me this time. Next year, on your Senior Prom, I am going to be your date. That's my condition."

"You're kidding, right?" I said but he just raised his eyebrow on me. "It's more than a year away," I laughed but he didn't. "You're crazy, you know that." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me. "Okay, fine, you're going to be my date for prom NEXT year. Happy?"

"Very," he said and took a bite of the food in front of him. Just like that, we were back to normal. We were friends again and I was still secretly in love with him.

--

A/N: I know most of you want them to get together, like together-together already and I promise they'll get there.


	41. Bonding

A/N: Sorry for taking a long time before the update. I am busy with my other story, Embry Imprinted, and it was taking a lot longer for it to reach this story's timeline so it might take a while again before I update this one. For the mean time, Embry Imprinted is being updated at least twice a week.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

"So?" Alice asked as soon as I closed the door behind me.

"What?"

"Spill!" she squealed but I didn't say anything. "Oh, come on, Nessie, I took your car home so that you could talk to Jacob. The least you could do is say 'Thank You'."

"Thank you," I said and headed for the stairs.

"Not funny, Renesmee. So, what did you talk about?" Alice pushed.

"If you're so interested, you shouldn't have left. Maybe you would have gotten details first hand," I was never the easily giving in type.

"Rosalie, I need help," Alice called out. Great, she called another interrogator.

"I'm tired; I'll talk to you ladies tomorrow," I said and started up the stairs. They were too quick and blocked my way. "Upstairs," I winked at them. Mom wasn't home yet from school and Granma was busy with some in the library. I didn't want my uncles to hear this girly conversation. When we were settled in my room, I told them that he finally apologized for being such a jerk. "And he invited me to prom for next year," I ended my story.

"For next year? You're kidding," Alice giggled.

"That's what I said but he was serious," I said.

"He really got it bad," Rosalie said.

"Yeah, sure. If he really got it bad, how come he didn't confess his undying love?" I asked Rosalie. When she didn't say anything, "That's all we have, flirting here and there, but it's going nowhere. It's a bit frustrating, but I guess we're to live forever, time is all I got in the world."

"Just you wait, Nessie, it'll come," Alice said with a big smile on her face.

"What did you see?" I asked her suspiciously.

"Oh stop being silly, I can't see werewolves, remember? I just have a good feeling about you and Jacob," she answered. "You should rest; we're going out of town tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Nessie, prom is a month away! We have to find the right dresses. We're going to New York," Alice said.

"New York? You sure mom will let me go?" I asked.

"Let's put it this way, Ness. Bella's lucky we're not dragging you to Paris," Rosalie chuckled and they left my room.

--

I was restless throughout the night. I talked to my parents like each night; I told them how my day went and the told me how theirs went. I always had this open communication with my parents. When dad left the room, I told mom about my conversation with Jacob.

"It's about time you two reconciled. I saw how affected you were when you weren't talking. I told everyone to back off," mom said.

"Thanks, mom. I was wondering how come nobody pointed out my change in behavior," I hugged her. "Wait, you didn't tell Jacob to talk to me, did you?" I asked. It was great that we finally reconciled, but it wouldn't feel so good anymore if I found out that someone talked him into reconciling with me.

"No, angel, that was all him," mom said and I couldn't help but smile. "He cares about you so much; he just let jealousy get the better out of him."

"Did you ever get jealous, mom?" I asked her.

"I did," my mom said.

"Who was it?"

"Tanya," she answered curtly.

"Embry's Tanya?" I asked.

"Yes. Tanya had always been attracted to Edward. They've known each other for decades. Edward just never showed interest in her. Your father assured me that there was no woman in his life before me. I was his first and only love, but I was human then, and I knew how vampires look like. Take Rosalie for example. She'll give Venus a run for her powers. Tanya was no different; she was beautiful and flawless and how could a mere human like me compete to that?" mom explained.

"What did dad say?" I asked.

"That he preferred brunettes," mom chuckled. She ran her fingers through my hair, "Renesmee, I know you are far more mature for your age. Sometimes I forget that you're not even four. I just want you to take your time and remember that some things you learn from the books and some things you learn from experience. One of the things you learn from experience is emotions. I know that Jacob means a lot to you, more than his friendship. I can see it in your eyes. I have the same look for your father. Just promise me one thing, angel, take your time."

"I will, mom. There was no point in rushing things if you are to live forever, right?" She kissed the top of my head. "I love you, mom."

"I love you, too, Renesmee. You better get some rest. Alice had big plans for the New York trip tomorrow," she said.

"You are coming with us, right?" I asked her.

"My daughter is going to buy her first ever prom dress; I wouldn't miss it for the world," she smiled and closed the door behind her.

--

I was bouncing up and down as I went downstairs. It was an exciting day for me since we were headed to New York to buy our prom dresses. It was much more exciting since my mom was coming with us. She never came to our little shopping trip. This was one of those rare occasions that she would come with us.

"Take it easy, Ness. Your excitement is eating up my system," Uncle Jasper chuckled when I entered the kitchen.

"Sorry, Uncle Jasper, I just couldn't contain it. I'm so excited," I said and danced along the kitchen before grabbing the bagel from the toaster.

"Alice really rubbed off on you when it comes to these shopping trips," dad said as he handed me the cream cheese.

"Don't blame the teacher," Alice said when she entered the kitchen with Rosalie and my mom.

"Are you ready to go?" mom asked. I all but swallowed the whole bagel so that I could jump up and head outside. "Drink something first. We don't want you choking," mom instructed and I poured a glass of orange juice and drank the whole thing in one motion.

"You act like we're starving you here," Granma said.

"Too excited to stop," I said and kissed everyone before linking my arms with mom.

--

The drive to New York was fast thanks to Rosalie's driving skills. We brought Rosalie's car since it had the most room for the bags. Rosalie and Alice decided that they would also do some extra shopping since we would hit the city anyway. My mom was not pleased.

"Bella, you barely go with us when we shop. We need to update your wardrobe," Alice exclaimed.

"I came with you so that I could see my daughter's prom dress, not to be Barbie'd up again," mom grunted.

"A little help, Ness?" Rosalie said.

"Mom, I know you're not a big fan of shopping but I promise, today will be different. I'm here; it's going to be fun. And if you said enough, I will wait with you, just please cheer up," I said to her with pleading eyes.

"My own daughter conspiring against me," mom exhaled and we all laughed.

"And that is why you love me," I said and hugged her.

--

We went in and out so many stores. Good thing Alice was a great weather forecaster or we would be having some issues with the sun. She guaranteed a gloomy day so it was a perfect day to walk around Fifth Avenue. It was fun for me, but unlike them, I needed rest and food.

"I swear I can't move another inch without food, please feed me," I asked my aunts.

"Why don't you two go ahead while I go with Renesmee to eat somewhere," mom suggested.

"And give you a chance to get away from this trip, I don't think so," Alice said and we walked towards a restaurant.

Not long after we got in, with the charms of my two aunts and mom, I was served with my food and finished eating in no time. I was too full afterwards and wanted to take a nap. "No more breaks, Nessie. Walk it off, your body needs to wake up," Rosalie instructed and I was dragged towards Bloomingdales.

--

"I thought we're here to shop for prom dresses," mom complained when Rosalie and Alice pushed her inside one of the dressing rooms with loads of clothes.

"We are, Bella, this is just a quick stop," Alice said.

"How come Renesmee didn't have to try on anything?" mom asked.

"I do, mom, you just don't hear me complain," I giggled from the dressing room across hers.

"Next time, I'm not coming with you three anymore," she grunted.

"This is nothing, Bella. Just be glad we didn't go to Paris this time," Rosalie chuckled.

After we tried on dozens of outfits and paid for a good number of them, we finally started to seriously look for the prom dresses that Alice and I would wear. "If not for the going to class part, I would go back to high school so I could attend prom," Rosalie said.

"You just want to show off, Rose. You do that almost everyday," I joked.

"Yeah, but it's not the same to be the envy of all the high school teens," she said.

"You're evil," mom said and we all laughed. "I, on the other hand, will no longer be subjected to prom. I already had my share."

"I saw your picture, mo-, I mean Bella. It was great," I said.

"Yeah, but I had a death trap trying to pass as a shoe on one foot and a cast on the other. If not for Edward, I probably ended up dead that night," mom said.

"Oh, stop it. Edward loved the outfit," Alice teased.

"Yeah, I guess that made that up," mom giggled.

"I like this, the four of us bonding. We should do this more often," I said and put my hand over my mom's shoulder.

"Nice try, Renesmee," mom said and we laughed at her lack of enthusiasm.

--

We were looking through the rack of formal dresses when Alice gasped.

"You okay?" I asked from the other side of the rack. Mom was with Alice while Rosalie was on the rack right beside mine.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just that I can't visualize what we're going to wear at prom. I thought I found something, and then it would change," she said.

"Just keep looking; I'm sure it'll come to you," I suggested and kept on looking.

"You're right," Alice said and went back to browsing the dresses on the rack.

After looking at a few dresses, I walked towards Alice and my mom. Rosalie was with them and they all looked like in deep conversation. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing," Alice said and gave my mom a meaningful look. "I was trying to convince Bella that the dress is not here. Maybe we should go back a different day," she explained.

"But we're already here," I said.

"That's what I said," my mom said.

"Why don't we try another store then?" I suggested.

"No, I don't think today is the day that we will find the right dresses," Alice said. I thought I saw Rosalie's mouth move but I didn't hear anything. "On second thought," Alice said, "maybe we should check out a different store." And so we did.

--

I couldn't remember how many stores my aunts dragged me into. My mom did not complain at all, which was unlike her, but I knew she just wanted to get over this shopping trip as soon as possible. I guessed the mention of quick fly to Paris earlier that day made my mother determined to help us in finding the right dress.

"I can't anymore. I'm too tired," I said when I found a lounge chair in one of the boutiques we went to. "And we still haven't gotten anything."

"We should head back. This dress hunting is going nowhere," my mom said and I couldn't agree more. This was the first time that I gave up on shopping.

I barely remembered the trip back home. The last thing that registered to me that night was mom saying good night and I fell into deep sleep.


	42. Visions

A/N: (Taps on the mic) Hello, is this mic on? (Echo) Okay, good. I just want to apologize for not updating for a long time, a whole month to be exact. Some thought that I already stopped writing, but that is not the case. I have been busy updating Embry Imprinted so that I could match the timeline and I made it! I thought about putting an A/N but I hate those Alerts that there's a new chapter then it was just an AN. If I hate it, then why do it to others, right?

Kudos to RobinCullen05 who thought it was totally strange that Alice didn't find any dress in New York all day. Same goes to Naezee.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

I hated it so much when my family hid things from me. I tried to stay still so that they wouldn't stop talking. They usually discuss things without me; they always left me on the dark, still protecting me. I thought about my dad's mind-reading power, but since they conversation hadn't died down, my mom was probably blocking me.

I looked at the time; it was almost two in the morning. We left New York after an unsuccessful dress-hunting trip and it took probably only an hour get home. I must have dozed off for a couple of hours or so. I wondered how long they had been talking. I closed my eyes and focused on their conversation. I was thankful that I was half vampire; it gave me vampire hearing.

_You should have headed home right away when you had that vision, Alice_, my dad said.

_It was both my and Bella's decision to stay put so that Nessie won't suspect anything. Or would you rather her find out._ Rosalie's voice was starting to rise.

_Keep it down,_ Granma said.

_I don't see the point of us going home right away when Alice saw her vision since she said that the phone call was not until hours later. I mean we just got off the phone_, I heard my mom explained.

_What's the plan then?_ I heard Jacob's voice. Something was up, something really bad. I couldn't think of any reason why my family would need to inquire with Jacob's pack.

_We should go there right away just to make sure that everything's okay_, Uncle Jasper suggested.

_Why are they in La Push anyway?_ Seth asked.

_That's what I've been trying to figure out. We haven't had any danger of exposure so I don't understand why we should be bothered my them again_, Grandpa voiced out.

_Rose and I will go first. We'll call if we need anything or for any development_, Uncle Emmett suggested.

_As soon as I see something, I will call you guys right away_, Alice said.

_Let's not talk about this any longer until something happens. Not a word to Renesmee,_ my dad said and since no one answered, they must have all just nodded. I barely got any more sleep that night. My mind was wide awake and thinking of what the conversation was all about. If only I heard that phone call.

--

"Ack!!!" I screamed when I opened my eyes.

"Geez, Nessie, you crushed my eardrums," Jacob said as he covered his ears.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" I shrieked. Normally, my dreams would be filled with Jacob being in my room, beside me on the bed. But I wasn't dreaming about Jacob, I was still wrapped around the conversation I heard a few hours ago.

"Your mom told me to get you so we could go hunting," he huffed.

"What time is it?" I asked and looked at the clock on my night stand. "It's eight in the morning. What are you doing here so early?" I asked.

"I'm going hunting with you guys, so get your ass downstairs. You're the only one we're waiting on," he turned and left my room. He looked like he hasn't slept since that two in the morning when he was discussing matters with my family. Not that I would ask him about it and I doubted that he would volunteer the information.

I got up and changed my clothes before heading downstairs. Everyone, but Rosalie and Uncle Emmett was there. I had my suspicion that they must have left for Washington already, but I needed to act. "Where's Rose?"

"Little getaway," Granma answered and extended her hand to me. I took it and didn't say anything. I sang in my head so that I wouldn't expose what I knew to my dad.

The whole day passed with my family acting normal. None of them said anything to me that could lead up to the question of Rosalie and Uncle Emmett's location. Alice distracted me by saying that we could hit New York again next week to look for a prom dress; she even suggested a weekend in Paris. It sounded absurd that even my mom protested against the trip to Paris, but deep down inside, I knew her protest was not because it would be pricey, but because it would make us closer to Volterra.

"Let's try New York one more time then next week. If that still goes nowhere, we're definitely heading to Paris," Alice said. My parents shot dagger looks at her but she just stuck out her tongue. It was childish and funny at the same time.

--

The day after was no different. I got up and got ready for school, ate my breakfast and drove to school. Alice was still her hyper self, but I could see that from time to time, her face looked serious, as if she was trying to tap into something. I wanted to call on her behavior, but I didn't want to spill everything I knew. I figured that they would tell me when they find out more.

Alice tried to sound animated when we told Marianne and Sabrina about our trip to New York and how we didn't find the right dress. "Alice can't visualize us with any of the dresses," I joked and the other two girls laughed. Usually when we joked about fashion, Alice was the first to laugh, but this time, it was forced. After lunch, before we headed to class, I pulled her to the side. "What is going on?"

"What are you talking about?" she answered with a question.

"You're hiding something. All of you!" I accused her.

"Stop that, Nessie. I'm sure your parents will tell you what you need to know. Right now, all you need to know is that it's time for class so let's go," she pulled my arm and dragged me to class.

That evening, in the middle of dinner, my dinner, the phone rang. They all looked at each other before Alice motioned for Uncle Jasper to pick it up. Try as I might to hear the conversation, Uncle Jasper was whispering and I couldn't understand anything he was saying. I tried to ask him what the phone call was about, he simply just said it was personal and that he needed to go away for a while. At that point, I couldn't contain myself anymore, "What are you all hiding from me?" I opened up my mind so that my dad could see all the things that I knew. I started from my observation when we were shopping in New York two days ago.

"I guess nothing escapes your notice," dad said.

"What phone call are you talking about two nights ago, or should I say in the wee hours of the morning? The pack was here, too. I heard them," I said and none of them said anything. "I am no longer a child. Please stop treating me like one and tell me what's going on." Nobody said a word. They just looked at each other. I sighed in defeat.

"We don't know exactly what is going on yet. All we know is that two vampires went to La Push; one of them attacked Embry's mom," Grandpa said and I gasped. "Don't worry; she's fine, thanks to Tanya. We don't know if Felix was there under the Volturi's command, but we are taking precautions. Rosalie and Emmett went there to help them out."

"She heard that part," dad said.

"Right. It was Emmett on the phone with Jasper earlier. Embry asked if Jasper could fly there to train them to fight against vampires," Grandpa continued.

"Fight? You mean they're coming back?" I asked.

"We can't tell. As of now, there's no sign but I saw Felix heading back to Volterra so until he gets there, we decided to stay put," Alice answered.

"But you're still going to Forks?" I asked Uncle Jasper.

"I have no business I needed to attend to here like you and Alice have high school; Bella and Edward have college and Carlisle in the hospital. I think it's better that I lend a hand there for training," Uncle Jasper answered.

"We should leave as soon as possible," Granma said. My mouth opened but nothing came out.

"Better safe than sorry, Nessie. Esme's coming with me to avoid any mishap in the airport," Uncle Jasper said. I knew he had the weakest control in my family but I felt that my family was being torn apart by a threat that we didn't even know truly exist.

"What's Jacob pack doing here yesterday?" I asked.

"We discussed the matter with them. Seth and Leah wanted to go to La Push, but Jacob said that they should stay put at well until we figured everything out. It's better that we all go there prepared with more information than guessing," mom said.

"I don't like this," I murmured.

"No one does," my mom said.

--

I kept a close eye on Alice. She didn't have any vision and it bothered my whole family. Alice was not too pleased with herself either and she was extremely moody. A lot times we wished that Uncle Jasper never had to leave because Alice's moods were hard to handle.

It was not until Friday after school when Alice suddenly gasped while driving. I had to steer the wheel for her because she totally lost control of the vehicle. "Alice, watch out," I shrieked and she stepped on the breaks before we hit the sidewalk.

"Sorry. Call your mom; they're skipping school today," she said and sped up to the house. In less than five minutes, we were all gathered in the living room. The phone was set on the table and I knew that they put Rosalie, Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper and Granma on speaker. Jacob, Seth and Leah arrived not long after we did.

"What did you see?" Jacob said as soon as he entered the house.

"We should have never invited them over here," Alice mumbled and none of us understood, except for my dad who read Alice's mind.

"The Volturri never gave up on us. They are still hoping to get me, Alice, Bella and Renesmee to join their little army," dad fumed. "We knew they are keeping tabs on us; they have been doing that ever since our last visit to Italy. But when Heidi told them about the last visit and how Embry and Tanya arrived together, Cauis got suspicious. Aro and Marcus said not to waste any time with the shape-shifters but Cauis has something else in mind and when he couldn't control it any longer, he ordered Felix to go and confirm Embry's relationship with Tanya."

"_It was our fault," _I heard from the speaker phone. Tanya was there with my family. I heard comforting words from my family and Embry.

"Cauis was furious with Felix' report. Furious that the other vampire, Zachariah, made their presence known, but much more because of what Felix' told him," Alice continued what she saw. "He's considering a visit to La Push. He hasn't decided what action to take to separate Embry and Tanya, but he will try everything," her voice faltered, "even if it meant killing both of them." Everyone fell silent.


	43. Protection

A/N: Thanks to everyone who always takes time to post a review; it means a lot to me :D How about we try for 350 reviews?

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

"Can you tell when Cauis is coming?" Grandpa asked Alice.

"I can't. He still hasn't decided what to do yet," Alice answered.

"_What do we do now?" _Uncle Jasper asked.

"Let's go home," Jacob said but Alice shook her head. "Why not?"

"It's better that we stay put for now until she sees what else is going to happen," dad answered, probably from what he read from Alice's mind.

"We're sitting ducks here when they are in danger of getting attacked!" Seth exclaimed. It was the first time I had seen Seth reacted as such.

"I understand what you're feeling, but Alice can see what is going to happen so until he decides on it, we should stay here," Grandpa said.

"_For the meantime, I will continue training the pack. Don't worry, Seth, I will train them well,"_ Uncle Jasper said.

"I know you will, Jasper. I just can't help but worry," Seth said calmly.

--

The pack spent the night in our house. I refused to sleep in my room because they always talk every time I was up there and I hated it when they kept secrets. Time and time again I told them this but I would still see them talking amongst themselves and then suddenly stop when I appeared.

It was not comfortable sleeping on the sofa. I missed the comfort of my bed, but I would not let any of them push me around anymore. I tried to stay up but my half-human side gave in and my eyes slowly closed. I didn't know how long I was out and I hated myself for sleeping. However, it did not go in vain because I caught a part of their conversation before they realized I was already awake.

"Why can't I come with you?" Jacob growled while whispering.

"Because Renesmee is your imprint. Things are complicated as it is," my dad snapped at him.

"Then why can't she just stay here?" Jacob snapped back.

"Because in case you forgot, Cauis was also against letting Renesmee live the last time they visited. If not for Aro's decision that she's no threat, they would have killed her," Alice answered this time. "We need to show that she actually grew up." This brought chills to my whole body.

"Ahem," I heard Leah; I knew it was directed to me.

"We're not done with this," I heard Jacob said and the front door closed. He must have left.

"You can stop pretending now, angel," my mom said.

"Sorry," I mumbled and opened my eyes. I went upstairs to clean up before heading down to eat breakfast. Leah and Seth were there, but Jacob hadn't returned. I dared not ask what happened since I didn't want any interrogation. Instead, I asked Alice about our planned trip. "Alice, what time are we going to New York?" That simple question triggered something because everyone in the house looked warily at Alice. "We're still going, right?"

"Of course we are," she answered, "but not unsupervised."

"Supervised by who?" I asked.

"Me," dad pointed to himself.

"You're kidding," I said. "Why can't we just take Seth?"

"Because I can't see with werewolves around," Alice said and looked at Seth and Leah, "No offense." The siblings brushed off her comment.

"Mom, are you coming?" I asked.

"Yes. You're dad will stay outside the store. I don't think he can take any more torture. Going shopping with Alice is bad enough as it is," mom said.

--

My dad's impatience pushed all Alice's button and we hurried in buying the dresses. I was happy with our choices, although I knew that Alice would have preferred that we purchased a couple more dresses for 'back-up.'

"We want to be home in case something happens," my dad said to Alice. Alice would surely argue back, but my dad had a point. New York was more than an hour away from our place; that was already considering the manic driving of my vampire family.

"The dresses you chose are fine, Alice. There's no need for a back-up," my mom tried to lighten up Alice's mood a bit.

"Of course they're fine, I picked them," Alice pouted.

She decided that I buy a short dress that would show off my long legs. I asked her how come Rosalie never bought short dresses when she had the legs to show for. "She's more into her curves than her legs," Alice said to me. She chose a dress with a really low back. I didn't argue with her; it was stunning. If I thought even once of trying it on, I knew my dad would be fuming.

--

Leah and Seth were in the house when we arrived. Leah was unpacking some Chinese food. Since Granma left and my mom had been busy with school during weekdays, the house was no longer stocked with food. Seth was trying to entertain himself with the video games. It wasn't the same without Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper.

"Nessie, I'm almost done here. Can you call Jacob? He's out back," Leah said and I shrugged. I went to the backyard and saw Jacob shooting hoops, although it didn't look that he was concentrated on what he was doing.

"Hey," I called out. He didn't say anything; he just nodded at me. "Leah's almost done setting up dinner. Well, not home-cooked dinner, Chinese to-go," I chuckled but he had no reaction at all. "You should rest so that we can go ahead and eat." He stopped shooting and grabbed a towel from the bin without a word. Granma set up a towel bin outside for me and the pack so that we have something to use when we play. My vampire family never sweated, but since I was half-human, I did.

"How was your trip?" Jacob asked.

"You speak, that's great. I thought you've gone mute," I chuckled. He glared at me but I ignored him, "The trip was fine. What's gotten into you?" I asked.

"How much did you hear this morning?" he asked.

"Nothing much," I answered.

"Uh huh, like I believe that," he sneered. "Do you agree with them?"

"Agree on what?" I asked, intrigued.

"Never mind," he said suddenly. "Let's go inside; Leah and Seth are waiting," he held the door open for me and although I wanted to ask more questions, I didn't.

--

Alice was back to her bubbly personality when we went back to school Monday. Her giddiness did not escape Sabrina and Marianne. "We got our prom dresses," Alice sang.

"Us, too!" Sabrina squealed. "Can you believe it? Just three weeks."

"I'm sure Ken is more excited than you are," Marianne teased and nudged me on my ribs.

I rolled my eyes. "Friends only, Marianne. Just friends."

"Speaking of friends, how's Jacob? I miss those days that we have a reason to go to your house," Sabrina said dreamily and I had to bump her to snap out of it. She just giggled.

"Well, I am so looking forward to prom," Alice said.

--

I was glad that activities back in school were back to normal. Alice didn't seem so distracted anymore. I was worried about it a bit because all of us were depending on her vision and since she was not having any lately, it also made me a feel a bit on the edge. I hated the feeling of not knowing, even though I knew that normal human beings experienced that everyday.

The volleyball team was doing good. We already made it to the semi-finals round and we were scheduled to play the quarter finals in two weeks. The next few games next week wouldn't matter to our team's standing and it was great to relax a bit.

One thing that changed was that Jacob was around more than before. In normal circumstances, I would love having him around. His presence used to bring joy in my heart and made my stomach flip. However, he was starting to get on my nerves. He would always ask where I was going even though I was just at home. He would watch every game and every practice if he could squeeze it in his schedule. He was starting to suffocate me. It was hard enough to deal with my dad; Jacob was adding more fuel to the fire.

"What does it bother you so much that I'm always around? I'm just protecting you," he snapped at me one night when I called him overprotective. It was Thursday and he went with me to the volleyball practice. I was not playing and headed to the bathroom. Jacob suddenly jumped in front of me before I reached the lockers. It was a bit embarrassing that I had to explain to him that I needed to pee. The whole team was staring at us.

"Protect me from what exactly? The threat is in La Push, not here. Alice is with me every day in school and at home. I always hunt with my parents. You and the pack have been sleeping with me in the house. What else do you need to protect me from? There's no monster in the bathroom that will me in the toilet, Jacob."

"A little appreciation would have been nice, Nessie," he grunted and slammed the door when he left.

"ARGH!" I yelled at the closed door and headed to my bedroom. I had been sleeping in the living room with the pack, but not tonight. I was too mad at Jacob to even be in the same with him.

--

"Angel, wake up," I heard my mom's voice.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's five in the morning. We're having a family meeting downstairs," mom said.

"This early?" I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. Wrong move.

My mom pulled the blanket off me, "Renesmee Carlie Cullen, get up and meet us downstairs in one minute or I swear I will send your father to drag you off this bed." She walked towards the door before she let go of my blanket and I didn't have a choice but to get up and head downstairs.

Dad, Mom, Grandpa and Alice, I already expected, were all wide awake and polished since they didn't sleep. I was surprised to see the pack with their eyes wide open and looked attentive. I sat beside my mom on the love seat. Alice looked worried; she probably had another vision. A bad one. The phone was in the middle of the coffee table. Our family in Forks must be on the other side.

"Cauis is making a move. He's bringing Felix, Heidi, Chelsea and Alec. I don't know the others, but there are about a dozen of them in total. He had an argument with Aro and Marcus since both thinks that this trip is a waste of resources," Alice explained. "The only thing that convinced Aro was that since Chelsea is coming with Cauis, he might be able to break any bonds amongst us."

"_Cauis doesn't care about any of us. He's only bringing Chelsea in hope to break the bond between Tanya and Embry,"_ Eleazar said on the other line.

"That's the same thought I had," Grandpa said.

"_When should we expect them?"_ Uncle Jasper asked.

"Next week, for sure," Alice answered.

"So, what do we do?" mom asked.

"I'm pulling Alice and Nessie from school today," Grandpa said. He turned to my parents, "You should do the same. I will ask for emergency leave at the hospital."

"_I'll tell the pack,"_ Embry said and they hang up.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Jacob asked. Did he just how long are YOU going to be gone? It sounded like they were not going with us. But that couldn't be right; we're all in this together.

"Jacob's pack's staying," dad answered my thought. "We couldn't risk any more bonds being broken," he said but he was not looking at me; his eyes were directed to Jacob.

"I'm afraid you're going to miss your prom," mom said and patted my hands.

"Oh, right. I have to tell Ken," I said with a sad voice, but it wasn't the thought of not going to the prom with Ken that brought sadness in my mind. It was because we were going back home, but Jacob wouldn't be there.

--

A/N: Prom dresses in my profile


	44. Tears

A/N: 350+ reviews, yay! Thanks for the support.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

I couldn't remember how I got ready for school. I couldn't remember what I ate for breakfast. I couldn't remember if I said goodbye to my parents before I got in the car. I couldn't remember if I actually told Ken that I needed to talk to him later at lunch time. I couldn't remember the words that my teachers said during class. I couldn't remember anything that went on and half of the day already past. I couldn't remember because I felt numb.

Ken was anxiously waiting for me in the cafeteria. He had a tray ready for both of us and I told him that I needed to talk to him in private. Sabrina and Marianne looked at us but Alice could handle them. She could break the news to them; I needed to take care of Ken.

"Is everything okay, Nessie?" he asked and that was the only time that I actually snapped out of my daze. I had been holding an apple in my hands while I sat at one of the benches outside the buildings. Ken was sitting beside and chewing something. I looked at what he was holding, pizza.

I took a deep breath. I was so preoccupied this morning that I didn't even have a speech ready at all. My mind was somewhere else; my mind was with someone else. "Ken, I know that prom is only two weeks away and I told you that I'm going with you, but I'm afraid I'll have to cancel," I couldn't look at him. "Something came up in Washington, family emergency. My uncle set up an appointment with Mr. White because we're going to be gone for about three weeks." I looked at him and saw his mouth hanging open. I lifted my hand and closed it, "I'm sorry. I know it's so last minute and you might not be able to get a date this late, but…" He cut me off.

"I understand, Nessie," he exhaled. "I just, well, it's not, what I'm trying to say is this. It's not the prom that I'm bummed about; you're not going to be there and that sucks. I understand that it's an emergency but it still sucks. Isn't there anyway you can at least come back for the prom?"

"I don't know how long we need to stay there and I don't want to make any promises," I said and patted his hand. "I was looking forward to that day. Alice and I already bought our dresses; everything was set. But it's an emergency and we need to go."

"I know this is out of line, but is Jacob going with you?" he asked.

I didn't dare look at his face. Ken had always shown interest in me beyond friendship. Time and again I told him I was only interested in friendship, but he hadn't given up. Now, the mention of the man I would gladly give my heart to, I felt tears threatening to fall from my eyes. "No, he's not coming with us," I answered. As much as I wanted Jacob to come with us, my whole family insisted of them not going. They wouldn't tell me why, not even Jacob would tell me why. As days passed by since that day that I eavesdropped on their conversation, I couldn't help but think about Jacob and the argument he was having with my family and the more I thought about it, the more my heart aches for him in a way I couldn't describe.

"I guess she told you the news already," I heard Sabrina's voice. I looked around; she was walking with Marianne and Alice with a sad look on her face. "Are you going to talk to Coach Noble later?" she asked me and I nodded. "This sucks," she mumbled and plopped beside her brother. Marianne sat beside her.

"I know. I was looking forward to prom and the finals and the timing just sucks, but it's called an emergency for a reason," I sighed. "I'm really sorry, Ken."

"When are you leaving?" he asked.

"Tonight, as soon as my sister gets home from school," I answered. That was the plan. Grandpa already purchased our red-eye flight back to Seattle then the others would pick us up from there. As soon as dad and mom arrived from school, the pack would drop us off to the airport.

"And there's really no way to stop you?" Marianne asked.

I smiled weakly, "If there was any way, we would have figured it out already." The warning bell rang to signal that lunch time was over. We all silently got up and walked to our classes.

--

Grandpa told Mr. White and our teachers about the family emergency and they discussed the arrangement for our classes. It wasn't that hard to convince the teachers to let us off for three weeks with advanced homework since both Alice and I were doing really good in all our classes. It was Coach Noble who was the hardest to deal with, not because he wouldn't let me take off for three weeks, but because he was looking forward to seeing the Varsity Volleyball team sail through the finals.

"It's going to be hard to replace you in team, Nessie," he said to me when we left Mr. White's office. I already talked to him during class and Jean was bummed about the situation as well. "I was hoping that what you said earlier was just a joke. Seeing your Uncle in there made it all so official," he sighed. "I hope Kitty will deliver." I knew that Coach Noble didn't want to add Kitty in the Varsity roster, but he needed to make sure he had enough players to play in the finals and since Kitty was the captain in the junior varsity, she was the first pick.

"Everyone's good, Coach, you have nothing to worry about," I said to him and tried to make my voice sound happy.

"I know. Hopefully everyone's good enough," he patted my shoulder and left.

--

I was pacing back and forth in my bedroom after I finished packing my bags. My parents already left for school and as soon as they get home, we would leave. I tried to eat the food that Alice and I bought on our way home but I only ended up taking one bite. My nerves were in havoc and I missed Uncle Jasper and his ability to calm me down. After pacing for what felt like an hour, I plopped myself on my bed. I closed my eyes and hoped that I would drift to sleep.

I tried to think happy thoughts but my mind went back a few years ago when I first saw the Volturi. I was only months old then but my parents always told me I was so mature for my age. I looked physically two that time, if I remembered correctly. I tried to push the thought out of my head but it seemed like the memories that were buried behind my mind wouldn't go away and pulled me back to the scene, to the clearing. There so many of them; their eyes were crimson red. All of them looked ready to kill and it was all because of me. Caius walked towards us. I looked behind me, my family and the pack suddenly disappeared and Caius reached for my neck. I couldn't breathe and I tried to pry his hand off my but I couldn't. I tried to scream but no sound came out. He lifted me off the ground and I kicked my legs but nothing happened. I felt my whole body shake constantly.

"NESSIE! NESSIE!" I heard someone calling my name from afar. I tried to turn my head and saw Alice. "Nessie, wake up!" I tried my best to fight my nightmare and opened my eyes. "Nessie, thank goodness," Alice said and hugged me. "We've been trying to wake you up. You're sweating," she said and handed me a towel. "Carlisle, water," she said; I didn't even see him in the corner.

"What did you dream about?" he asked when he handed me the glass.

I drained the glass before I answered. "Caius. He was choking me and I couldn't breathe," I said in between deep breaths. I touched my neck, "It felt so real."

"It'll be alright," Alice said and patted my shoulder. I nodded even though none of us could be sure what will happen.

--

I heard a vehicle parked in front of the house; it was too early for it to be my parents so it must be the pack. I grabbed my bags and went downstairs. Jacob grabbed them from my hands, but I held on to them, "I got it." We went outside and saw an eight-passenger van parked on the driveway instead of a Jeep. I noticed the bags inside. It couldn't have been Alice's nor Grandpa's since they were still inside talking inside the house. "Are you guys going with us?" I asked.

"Jacob's not; just me and Seth," Leah answered.

"Oh," was all I could say. So Leah and Seth changed their minds, but Jacob didn't. I wanted to ask him why he was staying behind, but a part of me was not ready for any answer he was going to give and it was that part of me that was dominant so I never opened my mouth.

After loading my bags, we slowly walked inside the house. Leah and Seth sat in front of the TV. I was about to follow when Jacob finally said a word, "Can I talk to you?" I nodded and followed him as he walked to the back door. He sat on the same log that we sat on when we cleared up the whole 'Jacob and Leah' issue. I waited for him to say anything but he didn't. He grabbed my hand that closer to him and turned it up so that my palm was facing him. He folded my two fingers and chuckled. I looked at him because I didn't know what was funny. "I sometimes forget you're just three years old," he said.

"Correction, I'm three and two-thirds," I said and tried to pull my hand away. He held on my wrist and the warmth of his touch ran through my whole body. We both fell silent again. I looked at him; he was still looking at my hand. Before I could stop myself, I asked the very thing that had been bugging me, "Why are you not coming with us?"

"It's for the best," he answered without looking at me.

"How is it for the best if the fight is over there and you're here?"

He looked at me and I saw in his eyes something that I have never seen before. He looked torn, in pain and worried, "I need to stay behind, Nessie. Please don't ask why; I just need to." He turned to my hand and this time, he placed his palm on top of mine and laced our fingers. "Take care of yourself when you get there. And listen to your parents; they know what the heck their doing." I nodded although he wasn't looking at me.

"We're ready to go," I heard my mom's voice. I was so caught up with the moment I was sharing with Jacob that I didn't hear my parents arrived. Jacob got up and tugged my hand. When I was up, he let go of my hand; I instantly missed the warmth of his touch.

--

The trip to the airport was quiet. We all rode together in the eight-passenger van that Jacob rented for our transport. Grandpa rode on the front seat; Alice and my parents in the back row; Leah, Seth and I in the middle. I sat behind Jacob and from time to time, I would see him peek at me through the rearview mirror. I would have been giddy and excited if it wasn't for the sad look in his eyes.

Before we entered the security that was strictly for passengers only, everyone said goodbye to Jacob. I was the last to do so. "Hurry, okay?" my mom said to me.

"I guess I'll see you in a few weeks," I said. He did not say anything; he just simply pulled me close to his chest and wrapped me in his arms. All the tears that I had been fighting back finally fell from my eyes. Tears of fear, but not the fear of what was waiting for us in Forks; I feared that I wouldn't find my way back to Jacob.


	45. Fight Plan

A/N: I'm so excited every time I see the review numbers go up and up and up and I'm so thankful to everyone who takes time in posting a review. Special thanks to those readers who had a Life-Goes-On-Marathon and read the whole story until wee hours of the night/morning. This means so much to me and thank you very much for the support. It's so close to 400 so keep on reading and reviewing and as always, there's no such thing as a bad review. All reviews are welcome.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

Jacob did not say a word. He wiped the tears from my face, kissed the top of my head and loosened his arms around me. I picked up my bags and proceeded to the Security Gate. I dared not look back or I might not make it to the flight. I would just run back to Jacob's arm and never let go. I put my bags and shoes on the X-ray belt and handed my ticket and I.D. They must have seen the somber look on my face because none of the Security Personnel tried to start a small talk with me like what they did with the other passengers. I grabbed my shoes and bags and walked towards our gate.

None of my family said anything to me. Mom must have blocked my mind from my dad because he looked as confused as my family, but all of them gave me space and I loved them for that. I took my phone out of my pocket with hopes that maybe Jacob would call before we boarded but there was no call. I felt a cold hand over my shoulder; it was mom. She didn't say anything. She just stood there with me as I looked outside the window.

Seth, Leah and Alice tried to have small talks, while Grandpa and Dad were probably discussing some tactics for our impending fight in La Push. I didn't notice much of what was going on until Alice gasped. She must have had another vision. We all rushed to her side; my parents and Grandpa had to watch their speed as they went to her side. "What is it?" Grandpa asked and dad groaned. He must have seen it already.

"One of the guards with Caius is a mind-shield," Alice said.

"This is not good," Grandpa muttered to himself. "We should let the others know right away."

"I'm on it," dad said with his phone on his hand.

"He really thought about this attack. That's why he's only bringing a dozen with him. All of them have special abilities," Alice said.

"We should go," dad said and as soon as the words left his lips, the attendants announced the start of boarding.

--

Mom held my hand the whole flight. Dad and Grandpa sat together across Alice and Leah. Seth sat by himself across me and mom. Mom still hadn't said a word to me. I wanted to ask about Jacob and about the discussion they were having one morning when Jacob stormed out. I wanted to ask why Jacob was left behind when his pack were with us. I wanted to ask so many things about Jacob but I knew this was not the time to dwell on the feelings I had for Jacob. My family and friends were in danger and the last thing I should be thinking about was Jacob.

I drifted off to sleep. My mind was exhausted from thinking too much and my eyes stung a bit from the tears I cried at the airport. I didn't wake up until my mom nudged me that we already landed. When we got to the arrival, Rosalie and Granma were waiting for us. Alice, mom and I rode with Rosalie while the rest went with Granma.

"How's everybody?" Alice asked Rosalie when we got in the car. Her voice was weary; I was surprised that Rosalie didn't pick up on it right away.

"Fine, for now," Rosalie answered. "Jasper's trying to get everyone's emotion in check, but he could only help so much, especially when he feels the same. How about you guys? Everything good?" Neither Alice nor my mom answered right away. Rosalie picked up on it, "What is it, Alice?" Alice shifted in her seat before she said anything, but I didn't hear any part of the conversation because I drifted back to sleep.

--

Everyone was gathered around the house when we arrived, except for those who were out running patrol. As much as Kate and Carmen wanted to dwell on my drastic physical change, we didn't have time to spare. We got ready to go to La Push. It was very early in the morning, but with everyone worrying about the unwelcome guests, no one complained about meeting in the wee hours of the morning.

Eleazar told us about the extent of Heidi, Chelsea and Alec's powers. Dad, Grandpa and Alice knew about their power, but the rest of us knew only vague information. Alice and dad tried to describe to Eleazar the other eight that were coming with Caius, but Eleazar couldn't identify any of them. "If you don't remember them from their last visit here, Aro might have just acquired them a couple of years back."

"That's probably it. Aro was so interested in Bella when she transformed. Now, they have a shield, although not at powerful as Bella," Alice said. "From what it looked like, this new vampire needs to be physically holding the other person he's blocking. I can't tell the extent of his powers from my vision."

"If that's the case, we will need to prepare more," Embry said. "If Edward can't read Caius' mind, we need to be ready at all times."

"You have to make sure that you're ready for any attack," Uncle Jasper said. "As you all know, vampires are very fast and it will take at least two werewolves to physically take down one vampire. We will need to discuss tactics."

"Until they decide on how to attack us, I can't see anything and now that the next moves involve werewolves, I can't see anymore. It's all blurred and I'm afraid I can't be much help," Alice said with a sad voice.

"What you have seen is already a big help to us, Alice," Billy said. "Without the visions that you had, we wouldn't be able to prepare everyone."

"Based on the original timeline that you told us before, we have about five more days," Jared said. "I think it is best that we talk about the teams that we will form."

"Those who are not in patrol and can spare some more time, meet us at the Cullens," Embry said. "I will be in wolf form so that you'll be included in the discussion as well." The pack nodded and those who needed to patrol got up and phased. The rest, the Elders and my family stayed put for a while.

"Carlisle, I am worried about our tribe," Old Quil said. "I know that in the past we have had our differences, but your family had proven that you are with us in this fight, especially now that our families are forever intertwined," Old Quil looked at me and Tanya. What was that look about? Old Quil continued, "I trust that you will take care of the pack since we can't when in comes down to the fight."

"The pack is family to us now and we will protect them as we protect ourselves. There's no need to worry," Grandpa assured the Elders.

"We're going ahead, Carlisle," dad said and got up. Grandpa nodded and everyone started to leave except Grandpa and Billy. Not one of them said a word and I didn't have a chance to hear any part of their conversation at all.

--

My body was exhausted; I wanted to sleep but I needed to stay up to discuss matters with the pack and my family. "This is going to harder since Edward won't be able to read Caius' mind," Uncle Jasper started. "This will now be pure defense if it ever comes to fighting."

"We should have six groups just in case it comes down to a fight; each group can take two vampires at a time," Uncle Emmett said. "Embry," he nodded to Embry's wolf form. We waited for dad to say anything. It was times like this that my father's gift was the most useful thing we had.

"They're regrouping the pack. Aside from Embry, Quil, Jared and Paul, Leah and Seth will lead as well," dad said. "Each will then have at least one vampire with them," dad continued and looked intently at Embry. "Group one will be Embry, Collin and Harry. Two will be Quil, Brady and Raleigh. Three will be Jared, Tom and Janus. Four will be Paul and Daniel. Five will be Leah and Bruce. Six will be Seth and Kyle. Now we need to add more vampires with Paul, Leah and Seth."

"I'm going with Embry; there's no question in that," Tanya said and Embry whimpered. "I'll watch your back and you watch mine. I will be out there with you." If I didn't know better, I would think that Tanya could read minds like my dad. She was with Embry for a while now that she didn't need him to be in human form to understand what his eyes were telling her.

"Kate and I will join Paul's group; Garrett and Alice with Leah," Uncle Jasper said as he squeezed Alice's hand as assurance before he continued. "Esme and Eleazar with Seth. Tanya and Carmen with Embry; you're going to be in the front line so it's better to have more in your group. Emmett will be with Quil and Rose will be with Jared."

"Bella will be in the front line to block us all," Grandpa said. "Embry, you should be as close to Bella as possible. Leah and Seth, Jacob's not here so you need to be closer to Bella as well. I will try to talk to Caius. Edward will stand beside me so he could listen to their thoughts as much as he could."

I noticed that they assigned everyone but me. I knew that I was young, but I was physically capable as everyone. Dad must have heard my ranting because he looked at me with worry in his eyes, "We will need to train you, too. You will be standing in the front line with us." I looked at him but the weariness did not leave his eyes. My mom patted my hand. I looked at her and she also looked like she was dreading the day that we would have to go fight for our lives.

--

When everyone left our house, mom told me to sleep some more so that I would be up and ready for the training. I was so curious about the training that I would have and why my parents agreed to this. I was surprised as it is that they let me come with them even if there was an impending danger. It was a bigger surprise that they would even train me to fight when a few months ago; they wouldn't even let me play volleyball.

I woke up after a few hours of sleep. I looked at my cell phone to check the time. My phone was off; I forgot to turn it on when we got off the plane. I turned it on and waited for the home screen to appear. It beeped signaling I had a voicemail. I got up and stretched before I listened to my voicemail. My heart melted when I heard Jacob's voice.

_Hey Nessie, it's Jacob. Your phone's probably off by now since at this time you should be in the air. I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you earlier. I know I should have said something but seeing you broke down like that was unbearable and if I say a word, I might break down as well. All in all, I just want you to take care of yourself and always listen to your family. Don't do anything stupid or brave and just…just be careful and come back home. _

I cried at the sound of his voice; he sounded tired and worried and scared all at the same time and I wanted to know what was going on with him. I wanted answers. I wanted to know why did it hurt so much to leave him and why he didn't come with us and why was all this killing me deep down inside. I sank on my bed and wiped the tears on my face. _Come back home_, he said. Technically speaking, Forks was my home, but it didn't feel like it was. Wherever Jacob was, that was my home and deep down, I knew that was what Jacob was saying.

"You'll know everything when all this is over, but for now, we need to start your training," I jumped at the voice of my father. "Sorry to startle you."

"I didn't hear you come in," I said and got up. "I'll clean up and meet you downstairs."

"We'll head to the clearing. Rosalie's going to wait for you," dad said and left my room. My questions would have to wait but at least the answers would come soon. I just want all of these to end and find my way back to Jacob and get the answers I needed from him directly.

--

A/N: Here is the point where Embry Imprinted is directly linked back to this story. Speaking of Embry Imprinted, a dear reader, leydyan22, made a poster for that story and I'm running a poll on what poster would look the best. Please go to my profile and click on the poll and VOTE for the partial poster that you like. It will mean so much to me; that and the review, of course.


	46. Nessie's Advantage

A/N: Tying this story with Embry Imprinted was harder than I thought and taking longer than I anticipated. Sorry for the delay and the future delay. We are so close to 400 reviews; keep them coming!

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

It was around five in the morning, but it would be eight in Hanover so I didn't feel so tired. Rosalie and I ran to the clearing where my vampire family and relatives were gathered. The werewolves were not there yet. Most of them went home when I fell asleep last night and some of them were probably still running the patrol.

"Do we really have to include her?" my mom asked.

"We've discussed this, love, we need all the help we could get," dad said; he tried to keep his voice strong but I could hear that he felt defeated.

"Nobody likes this, Bella, but she is the advantage that we have," Grandpa said.

"Will you please tell me what's going on instead of talking as if I wasn't here?" I asked. I had always been left out of conversation, even if I was standing in the middle of everyone. Most of the time, they treated me as a child.

"We will need to train your sight, your hearing and your telepathy," Uncle Jasper said.

"Will she have enough time to train all that in such a short time?" mom asked as she went to my side. She and Rosalie stood beside me, both held onto me like I was going to be taken away.

"She's the best weapon we have," Uncle Emmett said.

"She's not a weapon, Emmett," Granma said, "Stop referring to her as if she's a thing." I never heard Granma raised her voice, ever. "We're so sorry, Nessie, but just like Edward said, we need all the help we could get. If you can guide us through this mayhem, we will need you to be strong for us."

I was about to ask again what was going on and for them to stop talking in codes when my dad called me, "Renesmee, your mom and I need to talk to you." Rosalie let go of my hand and mom guided me towards dad and we walked together. "We want you to know that if there was any other choice, we won't let you do this," dad said. "But your telepathy will help everyone since we won't need to communicate with words and the Volturi won't hear our plans."

"Your dad won't be able to read Caius' mind and it will be a challenge for us. If we don't know what he's thinking, it can be a bit tricky. Jasper suggested that we train your sight and hearing so you can warn us of anything that you observed," mom said with a bitter voice. She looked at my dad, "Edward, I don't like this."

"Me neither," dad shook his head in dismay. "But like Eleazar and Carlisle said, this is the best defense we have. If we can communicate without words, it will keep the Volturi in the dark." We stopped walking. Dad turned to me and held me hands while mom rubbed my back. "It's a bit weird that you look the same age as your mother and I, but that doesn't change the fact that you are our daughter. The rest are family, yes, but you are more important to us than anyone else. If we could keep you out of the way, to keep you out of harms way, we will, but right now, we all need you."

"Angel," mom said and I turned to her, "Whatever happens, remember that your father and I will do everything to protect you and we both love you and if it ever comes down to the end, save yourself, okay?" I felt hot tears coming down from my eyes. I wrapped my arms around my mom and my dad wrapped his arms around both me and mom. I touched both their faces and told them that I loved them both and that I would be with them every step of the way.

--

I mentally and physically prepared myself as we walked back to meet the others. I could easily mentally prepare myself. All I needed was to think about protecting my family. Physically was a bit of a challenge. I remembered in the past how I easily passed out while we were training to the extreme. It was something I couldn't really control. My mind had always been stronger then my body. This training would push me to my physical limit. Thoughts of worries and defeat battled in my head. What if I couldn't do? What if I did manage to do it now and screw up four days from now? What if I pass out while I was supposed to be protecting my family?

"You will need to relax and clear your mind," dad said. "Thinking like that would not help and it would just cause you to lose your bearing."

"Sorry, dad," I mumbled while I put myself in position.

"For now, you will need to watch our every move," Uncle Jasper instructed. He was group with Kate, Garrett, Eleazar, Rosalie, Granma and mom. Grandpa, Alice, Uncle Emmett and Carmen were behind me and dad. "Tell everyone in your team every movement." When I trained in Hanover with Grandpa and Dad, I learned to project my thoughts to multiple people at the same time. "Are you ready?" I nodded at him.

When we started, their movements were small. Mostly was just a wave of the hand, a step forward, and turning around. They moved in human pace and I was able to relay everything. Uncle Jasper instructed to step it up a bit and all of them move simultaneously, although still in human speed. It was a bit harder because there were seven of them, but I still managed to observe everything. My head was starting to hurt but I blocked that from Dad. He would stop the training once he knew that my head was hurting. We were running out of time and I needed to help my family as much as I can.

Not long after, they started moving in vampire speed. I tried to focus my sight on all of them but they were too fast and too many. The most I could focus on was three; they were seven. I tried to project as much observation as I could but my emotions was taking over. There would be twelve vampires I would need to focus on and I could barely keep track of three and my family were not even trying that much. I was starting to get frustrated because my eyes were not fast enough to project every move to my team. I was in tears and my dad had to call for a break before I ran out to the forest. I heard someone approached behind me. Without looking back, I knew it was mom. "My eyes were too slow, mom. I can't even keep up. Everything was too fast. What if they attack forward? How can I help to protect anyone?" My mom did not say anything, but just let me cry the tears that my eyes produced. She gently rubbed my back with her hard cold hands and let the tears subside.

"We shouldn't have pushed you too much," I heard Uncle Jasper's voice. "It was too much to ask."

"It wasn't. I'm just too slow," I sobbed. I didn't notice it but my whole family was gathered around me.

_I'm sorry I'm being such a baby about this_, I projected to everyone.

"You are only three after all," Kate chimed. "You're still a baby. We just sometimes forget that."

_Let's try this again. I won't break down again, I promise. Let's not waste any more time._

It took more than two hours before I managed to observe all seven vampires at the same time. It was hard but I tried to think about my family and friends. It helped a bit when I stopped thinking about any danger, but just thought of this as another training day in Hanover. My dad switched with Garrett so that he and Uncle Jasper could boost up the speed. It was then when I passed out.

--

I was woken up by voices. There were too many to identify. My eyes fluttered open and I saw mom. I looked around; it looked like we were back in the house. I slowly got up and my family rushed to my side. "Hey, are you okay?" Grandpa asked.

I nodded, "What happened?"

"You passed out," mom said. I groaned. I hated passing out during training because my family worried too much after I did. Now, it was delaying our training session and we really need to get this together because Caius was set to arrive in a few days.

"I'm okay now. Let's go," I said and got up from the sofa. My Grandpa and my mom walked with me. The others were gone in vampire speed to the clearing. It was already nine in the morning, I was sure the pack was there already, waiting for all of us to come back.

The next few hours passed without me passing out but it was still taking a lot of time before I could catch every movement of the team in front of me. I concentrated harder and thought of what my life would be like once all this is over.

--

I had never been so tired in my life. The next two days were packed with training. The only good thing was that I hunted with my family; animal blood gave me more energy than human food, although I still ate some to satisfy my taste buds. I didn't pass out any longer. I didn't have to worry about it when the Volturi comes.

When the training was over, my family gathered at home. We tried to do some normal activities. Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett played video games with my dad, Seth and Garrett. Rosalie, Alice and Kate talked about fashion while Mom and I read books. Eleazar, Carmen, Granma and Grandpa talked about our life in Hanover and what they are planning in the future. We were grouped like this for some time when all of a sudden, Alice dropped the magazine she was holding and gasped. We all looked at her and her face looked blanked. After a minute, she was catching her unnecessary breath.

"What did you see?" Grandpa asked.

"Aro," dad answered. "He was talking to Jane. Something about making sure that Caius acquires what he was supposed to."

"You mean us?" Kate inquired. Aro had been interested not only with my parents, but also in Alice and Kate.

"I thought they let Chelsea come with Caius to assure that," Uncle Jasper said.

"Aro hadn't made up his mind yet if he will interfere," Alice said. "But Jane is instructed to round up Dimitri and a couple more for this trip. I can't see his final decision. He just told Jane to get ready if ever, but he didn't say when and if they will come here."

"Did you see how many are coming?" Grandpa asked.

Alice shook her head, "Since Aro hasn't decided yet, I can't see anything beyond that."

"We have to tell the pack," Uncle Jasper said. Kate called Tanya's house so that we could have another meeting.

--

After telling the pack what Alice saw earlier, everyone fell silent. Alice's vision about Caius was as clear as it ever be so we already knew of the danger we were facing with them. But with Aro, it was something that was not concrete and none of us could tell what Aro would decide on. Not even Eleazar or Grandpa who both knew Aro for a long time.

"This is going to be difficult," Alice said. "I can't watch both of them at the same time."

"We understand, Alice," Grandpa said then looked at everyone. "I think that it would benefit us better for Alice to watch Caius since he is the one who already made up his mind in annihilating our friends."

"But won't it benefit us if we at least know what Aro's planning?" Embry asked.

"Embry has a point," Dad said. "We already know that there's no way to stop Caius' attack, but knowing what Aro was planning could come to our benefit."

"But won't it be better that we know what Caius' move will be?" Garrett asked.

"Guys, I can only tell you what's going to happen with Caius before they get here. As soon as we are gathered together, I won't be able to see anything because of the wolves," Alice said and turned to Embry, "No offense." Embry nodded at her.

"I guess that settles that then. Alice, based on the last vision you had about Caius, he's set to arrive in two days. Just make sure that that hadn't changed yet. Other than that, watch Aro," Grandpa instructed. When was this hell going to end?


	47. Survival

A/N: Thanks to everyone who helped this story to reach 400+ reviews. I hope that you'll continue to read and review this story. The poster for my other story, Embry Imprinted, is already done so check out my profile and let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

It had been only a few days since we arrived, but it looked like it had been weeks since the last time I ate. Although I was half vampire, my body still changed a bit. My appetite for human food lessened and it started to take toll in my body. If not for the animal blood that my family let me consume, I would be very under nourished and weak. I lost a bit of weight since I was not putting in real food in my body and it was starting to worry my family.

My mind had been filled with sad and scary thoughts to even think about food. Sometimes I would see Dad giving me a sad look for the thoughts that I had been entertaining in my head. I tried to think of happy memories but I couldn't. I was supposed to be getting ready for prom. I was supposed to be spending time being girly with Rosalie and Alice while my mom watched over them. I was supposed to be worrying about the Volleyball finals. I was supposed to be worrying about examinations. I was supposed to be in Hanover living a life of a high school student, instead of preparing to fight for our survival here in Forks. This was not how I imagined my life would turn out. I wanted a normal life, I wanted what my mom had that she gave willingly gave up for my father.

I used to wonder why my mom gave up her chance of living a normal life. This was definitely not the life that I wanted to have. I wanted to stop living under the microscope. My family tried to act normal around me but I knew that they also checked if there was any other change. Grandpa stopped taking my measurements since I had the growth spurt, but I knew that he was still studying me from afar, especially when we discovered that I was telepathic.

I didn't experience what other kids did. I couldn't have my parents watch my every game because of the worry of exposure to humans. There were times that I thought of giving up this life. I would never be able to live an ordinary life. I would not have what my mom had before she chose to be turned. But if I gave up, I would not witness the love and affection that my family had for me and each other to last forever. This was something that they had that the normal humans could only dream of, a love to last for a lifetime. Every time I saw Mom with Dad, I somehow understood that their love was much greater than anything in the world. They made living a secretive life worth it.

--

Since we had been back, we haven't had any conversation that didn't involve the fight or training. Even when Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett were playing video games, I could still see that they were tense. Uncle Emmett almost broke one of the controllers because he was fighting off the thoughts from his head. Dad was there to warn him to cool down and it took a moment before Uncle Emmett took a deep unnecessary breath and relax.

Kate and Carmen tried to talk about my sudden physical change and how nice it must have been to be able to go to the same stores as Rosalie and Alice. When we start mentioning things that I do with my aunts, it always end up to talking about school since Alice and I were classmates. When it got to that part, both Alice and I would start thinking about our friends and the things that we were missing from school. My mind would just eventually go back to missing the life I temporarily left behind in Hanover which I didn't even know if it would be temporary. What if we couldn't fight Caius off? What if this was the end of our lives and there was no more future for us? What if this was my last day on earth and I didn't get to tell the man I love how I feel?

Every time I thought about my parents, my family, Jacob, our friends, the future, I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes. I didn't want to show my family this weakness. I was supposed to be strong. I was supposed to be ready. I was supposed to be able to support them, but how could I if I was so emotionally weak?

--

We were trying to start a discussion and it got to me again. I excused myself from my family and went to my parents' bedroom. I shouldn't have finished all my schoolwork that first day when we arrived. I wanted to get over the schoolwork so I could focus on training, but now my mind was uneasy and needed something to distract me. Studying would have been a good distraction. I stood up and went to the night stand and opened the drawer. I saw the recorder that Jacob gave me. It was only then that I realized that Jacob hadn't called me since we left. Was he that busy that he couldn't even take the time to ask me how I was doing? He knew what was going on; he knew we were about to face Caius. He knew that there was a chance that we could die from this fight. Did he not care enough to know if I was alright and how I was handling things? I didn't understand why Jacob opted out of this trip, why he was left behind. None of my family and friends told me what was going on with him and it was starting to irritate me to death. Why did everything have to be secret? If he didn't care enough for me to even call, didn't he care enough for my mom, his supposed best friend, or Embry and Quil who would be fighting for their lives as well?

I huffed and went to the other side of the room. I sat by the window sill and looked outside. The location of this house was beautiful. I could see the forest and the hills. I thought about what I experienced in this house. I remembered this place so well. This was where I first learn how to walk and how to speak. I remembered how Mom, Rosalie, Alice and Granma played with me. I remembered how Dad, Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper and Grandpa were protective of me. I remembered how they took turns in taking care of me, feeding me food that they didn't even eat and watching me sleep. This was the place that I felt my family's love. This was also the place where they gathered all the vampires they knew just so they could stand witness in my behalf when the Volturi threatened my life. Now, it was my turn to return the protection that they once showed for me. I would need to protect my family and what if I couldn't? What if I failed them? That didn't settle well with my stomach. I ran to the bathroom and threw up on an empty stomach.

I heard a light knock on the door as I rinsed my mouth. I did not answer and the door opened. I turned around and saw my mom with a weak smile. "You okay?" she asked. I shook my head and flushed the toiler. She walked to my side and I instantly wrapped my arms around her. "I know you're worried about tomorrow. We all are," she said as she ran her fingers through my curly hair. "We will get through this like the last time," she said but it sounded like she was convincing herself more than she was trying to convince me.

"Do you really think we stand a chance?" I couldn't help but ask. I expected my mom to get mad at me for being pessimistic.

She unwrapped my arms around her and held my hand between us. "I want you to keep in mind that this is a fight that we can win. We have prepared day and night for this and whatever happens, we are going to get through this. I know I'm not the best person that can convince you about this but I am your mother, and it is my maternal duty to make sure you are going to be safe," she answered with determination. I nodded at her words. My family needed me to be strong and I would do my best for them.

--

Everyone gathered with determination on their faces. The pack and my family walked together and gathered around the clearing. Caius was with his guards on the other side. They slowly walked towards us. The pack and my family slowly formed to protect each other. Grandpa stood in the front with me, Dad and Mom. Embry's team stood next to Mom while Quil's group was by my side. Dad and Grandpa was in the middle, Dad beside me and held on to me in protective stand. Facing the opposite sides were Jared and Paul's teams. Facing back was Seth and Leah's group. We formed in square position to cover all sides of attack. We needed a back up just in case I lost sight of anyone and our stance would give up another level of defense.

The Volturi guards slowly formed behind Caius and his precious little mind-shield. There were no words spoken. We were standing off and glaring at each other. I tried to focus hard on each of the guard's movement as they moved closer. Every step they took was matched by a frantic beat of my heart; every twig that crumbled under their footsteps matched the sweat that continually dropped on my back. The air was tense. The vampires started hissing and the pack started howling. As they snarled at each other, I trained my sight to each and every one of the guards.

All of a sudden, in one swift movement, the Volturi guards dispersed and I couldn't see nor track any of them with any of my senses. Everything was blurred. I started to panic. I couldn't focus. I heard snarls and whimpers. It all happened so fast. One second, the guards were in front of us, then the next my family and friends were attacked. Everyone around me limped helplessly while the guards continued their attack. My family tried to get up and fight back. I was the only one standing and my breathing was erratic and my palms were sweaty. I failed my family. We were close to being defeated and it was my entire fault.

Caius suddenly appeared in front of me with the most evil grin someone could ever have; his eyes were focused on me. I tried to step back but one of the guards pushed me forward. I fell to my knees. I tried to get up but I couldn't feel my legs. I looked around to see Mom fighting off as much as she could, her focus was her survival. My shield was down; my mind was open for Alec to control. I tried to fight his power but I couldn't. I looked up to see Caius glaring at me and in one rapid motion, he attacked me. I waited for the impact but someone got in the way. Caius hit the body and it dropped lifeless in front of me. I looked down to see who tried to save my life and when I realized who it was, all I could do was scream and cry at the same time. "JACOB!"


	48. Powers Revealed

A/N: Hey everyone! It took a long time for this chapter because I got so caught up with my personal life aside from fanfic, so apologies. Sorry about the cliffy last chapter as well. Thanks for all the reviews. We've reached 430+, I hope soon enough, we'll make it to 450. Read on and review. Let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

In front of me was Jacob's lifeless body and behind me was my family and friends slowly being torn apart. I screamed as the river of tears fell from my eyes. My whole body shook and I couldn't control it. "Renesmee," I heard my mom's voice as I looked at her direction. She was trying to reach for me but I couldn't move. I couldn't get to her. "Renesmee, fight it," her voice was pleading.

"Mom…mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" I couldn't get to her. I couldn't help my own mother.

"Fight this, Renesmee, fight this!" I heard voices. It was not just my mother; it was my whole family. "Fight this!"

"I can't…I can't," I pleaded. "Someone help me please. I can't do this. Help!" I shouted then felt something hard hit my face that caused me to close my eyes and put my hand over my cheek. I slowly opened my eyes to see my family gathered around me. Mom was holding me on one side and Leah was standing directly in front of me.

"I'm sorry," Leah whispered as I continued to cry. She left right away and I heard clothes tore. She must have phased.

"There's no time," Uncle Jasper said and everyone ran outside. Mom and Grandpa supported me. I held myself up after a second or two of recollecting.

"I'm so sorry, angel. I should have had my shield over everyone," Mom apologized while we were running to the clearing.

"It was my fault, love," Dad said to my mom. "I wasn't listening to her thoughts."

"Because I asked you not to," Mom told Dad.

"What, what's going on?" I asked.

"They are closer than we thought," Grandpa said. "They must have another guard with a special gift."

"What did you see?" Dad asked and I replayed what I saw in my mind. I held on to both Grandpa and Mom's faces to show them what I was showing to Dad. They all cringed when it was over. "Is that your greatest fear?" Dad asked and I nodded. He turned to Grandpa, "Whoever that was, it's a very strong power. It's the opposite of Heidi's power."

"What do you mean?" Mom asked. We were closer to the clearing. I couldn't see any of the Volturi, but my family and the pack were in formation.

"Heidi creates illusion of desire. She doesn't need to know what you desire the most, but she strengthens that desire in one's mind. The one who got into Nessie's mind creates the illusion of fear," Grandpa explained as we walked in front of the group.

"We will not let anything happen to you," Dad said to me. "Your mom will protect your mind and the others will protect you physically."

"We can do this, angel," Mom said with a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry that I was not able to protect you earlier. I will not let you down again."

"I have the weakest mind, Mom," I tried to console her guilt after I let go of my own nightmare, "maybe that's why he got to me. I know you won't let me down."

_I will not let any of you down,_ I told everyone in my mind. They all nodded towards me.

--

I couldn't tell how long we waited before I heard the footsteps coming from across us. It could have been milliseconds or it could have been hours. Slowly, I saw the group form. Caius, a face I knew so well, stood in front with a vampire as petite as Alice. Her hand was on Caius' shoulder. She must be the mind-shield. Behind Caius were faces I remembered, two men and two women. I couldn't tell who was who, but I knew their names; Alec, Felix, Heidi and Chelsea. Behind them were seven other vampires I hadn't seen before. They must be their new recruits. One stood out among the rest; a tall woman with long black hair. She was looking intently at everyone.

"She's the one," Dad said to me. I looked at the tall vampire again and cringed. Although everything that I saw earlier was all in my head, it still didn't ease up my mind completely, Jacob dead in front of me and my whole family lying lifeless a few steps away from me but I couldn't move towards them. "Focus, Renesmee," Dad instructed and I straightened up to observe everyone.

"Caius," Grandpa greeted the leader of our enemies which caused them to stop a few yards in front of us. It was a good move from Grandpa. We didn't want them too close to us.

"Carlisle," Caius nodded. "I see that you have a family reunion; the Denali and Olympia Covens." He focused his eyes one me. "I don't think we have met." He stepped forward and my family stepped back.

"You've met before, Caius. This is Edward and Bella's daughter, Renesmee," Grandpa informed him.

"But that was only three years ago since we last met. You have grown up so fast," Caius said, amused. I dared not say a word. "Truly extraordinary. No wonder Aro was taken by you. Wait, where are my manners? You haven't met everyone who came with me." His voice was animated and it bugged the heck out of me.

"This right here," he patted the petite vampire beside him, "is Inez, my little mind shield. I was the one who found her. I found her very useful and I know this must be giving you a headache Edward," he smirked at Dad. "You already know Alec, Felix, Heidi and Chelsea. Katara is something that we haven't come across before. She could sense if someone is alone or how many are in a group. She sensed someone was all alone earlier while all the others were formed in little groups. She's very handy with Mirah," he pointed to the tall woman. "She creates illusion of fear," he continued. Mom, Dad, Grandpa and I flinched and it did not go unnoticed. "I see that you already knew that." Caius smirked and continued, "Ludwig can produce noise in one's own mind; Portia there can cause blindness, through the mind, of course. I guess they won't be much use with your little Bella protecting everyone's mind, but I wouldn't count on her so much." Dad hissed at Caius but he was not bothered at all. He looked at our group intently before he continued, "I know I couldn't just bring mind-powers with your little shield protecting you, and so with me are Xander, Benjamin and Yule. You may be fast, Edward, but I think these three are a lot faster than you." Caius finished his introduction.

"Why are you here, Caius?" Grandpa asked although we knew well what his intent was.

"I am here to destroy our enemies," he answered. The pack growled. "Why are you gathered with these mongrels? This is not your fight. Leave and none of your family will be hurt," he warned.

"They are not enemies of our kind, Caius. Werewolves are enemies of your own, but you know well that our friends are not werewolves. They are shape-shifters; they control themselves, unlike the werewolves you hunt under the full moon," Eleazar said.

"Friends? You are going to risk your family for these creatures that you call friends? They are not different from the kind that I hunted before, Eleazar. They are of the same shape and kind," Caius said and slowly shook his head. "You are very different from the Eleazar I knew. You changed and it was a shame, you were a good man," Caius insulted.

"I am better one now. Say what you need to say, Caius, and leave us in peace," Eleazar said.

"Leave? I have no intention of leaving without fixing the problem," Caius said with bitterness in his voice. He looked around and focused on Tanya. "Tanya, how could you do this? How could you have a relationship with this creature? Have you not learned anything from your mother's mistake?"

"My mom's mistake has nothing to do with this, Caius. I am not afraid of you," Tanya snarled.

_Careful, Tanya. Watch your words. The others are crouching for an attack. Don't push too much_, I warned her. Tanya had the same temper as Uncle Emmett; they were both edgy.

"I will destroy these creatures and anyone who intervene. I suggest that you let me do what I came here to do. I will stop at nothing," Caius said with determination.

_Xander, Benjamin, Yule and Katara left the group. Yule and Katara are at the back; the other two on each side, _I told everyone in my head as I said to my mom through touch. My family and the pack shuffled at my words. The vampires crouched and the pack leaned back on their hind legs to get some force from behind to jump forward when needed. I noticed that Alec, Heidi, Mirah, Ludwig and Portia were all looking intently at Mom. My mom's knees buckled a bit. Dad and I were quick enough to support her. _They are using all their mind powers at the same time. Mom might lose some of you. Keep your minds blocked and remember it's all an illusion._

As soon as the four vampires moved around, I lost track of them and hoped that my family and friends behind me wouldn't need much of my support. Majority of our enemies still stood in front of us, intently looking at Mom. I could see the fog that was covering Mom's shield. I looked at Alec and Mirah; they never blinked while the others switched looking around each of us, looking for a target. I touched my mom's face as I projected my next thought to everyone, _Mom's the target._

I felt Mom moved. Dad swiftly held her hand and whispered something low but since my senses have been enhanced through the training with Uncle Jasper, I heard everything that Dad said to her, "Love, just keep the shield up. Whatever's coming our way, the others will protect you. We need you to just block our minds." Mom did not lose her control at all, she just nodded her head in recognition of what Dad said.

Quicker than I thought, the snarling and ripping started behind me. I wanted to look; I wanted to know what was going on. I needed to make sure that it wasn't my family and friends that were being torn apart. "Everyone's fine, Renesmee. Keep your focus forward," Dad instructed. Thank goodness for his mind-reading ability, I was able to snap back my attention to the group in front of us.

_Felix is getting ready, _I told everyone. I just then noticed that Felix had been agitated since they stopped on the other side. He wanted to attack already, but Caius was in front and he couldn't attack without passing his leader. I looked closely and noticed the Ludwig and Portia were starting to plank on either side of Felix. _They are going to attack the front, _I said to everyone. In an event like this, Uncle Jasper instructed that some of the teams at the back would shift to support the front. Kate and Garrett left their group, leaving the others still with one vampire each. _Kate, Garrett, move in front of Mom. She'll need blocking,_ I told the couple. The way they positioned themselves, Felix, Ludwig and Portia looked like they would attack head on. Mom and I backed up while Dad and Grandpa positioned closer to each other and gave enough room for Kate and Garrett.

There were more ripping behind me and not long after, I smelled smoke. Eleazar made sure that each vampire had something to start the fire with. "As soon as we tear them apart, burn them right away," Eleazar instructed during one of our meetings. "Do not waste any time. The last thing we want is any chance of reformation or for their venom to reach the shape-shifters."

_They're moving forward, _I told everyone as soon as Felix' foot shifted forward. They were quick to move, but before they even made it halfway to where we were, someone's shrill voice interrupted their steps.

"Enough of this, Caius," her little voice demanded.


	49. Emotions

A/N: More than 450 review, yay!!! You are AWESOME!!! Thanks to all you take time to review my story/stories and for the MARATHON readers.

If you want to get the details of the fight, you'll have to read it in my other story Embry Imprinted because Nessie didn't see how the fight went on, and this being Nessie POV, there won't be much action.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

I wanted to steal a look behind me to see with my own eyes that everyone was fine. Dad wanted me to keep my focus forward. "No one's hurt, Nessie. Not even a scratch," he said to me and it helped me to calm down a bit. The adrenaline rush that Uncle Jasper was projecting was building up inside me and it was pushing me to the edge. From the corner of my eye, I saw a group walking towards where Caius was standing. They were a lot closer to our group that Caius was and I couldn't help but feel slight shiver in my spine. As the new group glided towards Caius, my family and friends slowly stepped back to stretch the distance between us and the Volturi.

"Back up, slowly," Dad instructed to me and I projected that to everyone.

_Let us move same steps at the same time. Just one step at a time. They are looking at each other so take time backing up a bit._

"Jane, what a pleasant surprise," Caius said. I could hear the bitterness in his voice. "What brings you here?" Caius asked. "I didn't expect Aro to spare you." I looked at Jane and the vampires with her. There were four vampires with her, all of them I seemed to recognize from the past. They looked more intimidating that the group that Caius had with him. Jane may be petite, but the penetrating look she gave me made me shudder. I couldn't understand the way Jane looked at me; it was as if she was trying to do something, but I couldn't tell what. She locked eyes with me and squinted. Her eyes were red and full of anger. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

"Focus, Renesmee," Dad said. "Stop attacking my daughter, Jane," Dad said to the vampire in front of us and it became clear. She was trying to penetrate through Mom's shield. "Bella's here, it's not going to work."

"It is always worth to try. It's amazing how fast she grew," Jane said and focused her attention to Caius. "Aro told me of your plans on destroying these creatures," Jane said and the pack growled at her words. She dismissed them as if she didn't hear anything and continued, "He told me to make sure that your promise to take Alice, Edward, Bella and their daughter, whatever her name is, will be done at to no expense. But with the looks of it, you already lost four of the guards. Aro will not be pleased."

Aro was mentioned in passing when we were having our meetings. Alice said that Aro instructed for some guards to round up, but Alice never confirmed Aro making the decision to send them here. She never made mention of it, unless…

"Aro told Jane to make the final decision, rather than him. That way, if Alice was waiting for a decision, it would not be made through him," Dad said.

"I don't care what Aro thinks about this mission . If he cared so much to capture his little pets, he should have spared more vampires with you to join me. I don't think Demetri, Afton, Corin and Santiago would be enough help," Caius said to Jane.

"They are not here to help you, Caius. They are here to make sure that the others will follow exactly as instructed. Aro only agreed to let you go here in the first place because his only interest lies on whom you can capture. Marcus is getting tired of these 'hunting trips' that you are taking with the guards in the past centuries," Jane said. "In reality, both Aro and Marcus didn't think you'll go very far with these dogs and they were right. You're too naïve to think that the Cullens will not come to their rescue. You've seen how they rounded up against us before. Therefore, since you cannot fulfill what you promised to Aro and Marcus, I'm afraid I am here to collect the rest of the guards."

"They are here at my dispense, Jane. Aro and Marcus agreed I could bring them here for this purpose," Caius challenged Jane. "Stay where you are," he instructed the vampires behind him before looking back at Jane, "What makes you think they will come with you?" Jane simply nodded towards the guards and slowly, they moved towards Jane. All except Felix and Inez, who still had her hand on Caius' shoulder. "Cowards!" Caius accused Heidi, Alec, Chelsea, Portia and Ludwig.

"We are not cowards, Caius, we know where our allegiance lies," Alec sneered. Eleazar said that Alec and Jane were always loyal to Aro, more than any of the Volturi leaders. This was something that Caius thought was not fair but since Marcus could care less, there was nothing that Caius could do. Aro was the one who acquired most of the talented Volturi guards and most of them showed loyalty to him.

"Remember that Aro and Marcus only allowed you to take Heidi with you so that she can show them what they desired. Didn't you think that they anticipated Bella's presence here? They were betting how much loss you'll be willing to take before you give up. Leave this behind, Caius, because I don't think any of them will spare you, not even Carlisle," Jane said as she pointed her head to Grandpa. "With only three of you left, you will not stand a chance." She turned to the guards, "Let's go," and led them away from the clearing.

Caius looked hesitant but resigned his mission to destroy the pack. "This is not over," he sneered then he pointed to Grandpa and Eleazar, "and the two of you shall find no alliance with the Volturi. Mark my words."

Eleazar was the one who responded to Caius' empty threats, "I have given up on the Volturi a long time ago, Caius. I have no plans on going back."

"Be ready at all time, I will be back for you," Caius threatened.

"And we will be here waiting," Uncle Emmett replied. He didn't respond well to threats, empty or not. He never showed any sign of fear or doubt. It was just the way he is.

After one more look at each and everyone, Caius turned and followed Jane and the others. None of us moved. I kept my eyes locked at them until they were out of sight.

"They're gone. They are not coming back, at least not any time soon," Dad announced. The pack howled. I exhaled in relief. With the gasp of air, my knees buckle and my body fell back. The exhaustion finally caught up with me after the pump of excessive adrenaline. I expected a hard cold arms to catch my fall but I was surprised to feel warm fur where I fell. I was too tired to realize who it was.

--

I didn't know how long I was out. My eyes fluttered open. I looked around and noticed that I was not in my grandparents' house; I was in our cottage. I heard voices coming from the living room so I got up from my bedroom and saw Granma and Carmen.

"Nessie, how are you feeling?" Granma asked as she led me to the table. She then went to the microwave and heated up something that looked like soup. "The others are at the house," she said with a timid smile on her face. She looked like she was hiding something but my head hurts to figure out what.

"We were so worried when you passed out, but you were up sooner than you did the last time," Carmen said.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Just a little over an hour this time," Granma answered and placed a bowl of tomato soup and slices of grilled chicken on the table. "I saved this before the pack devoured the whole thing."

I nodded and ate. There was nothing better than human food after a long day. Granma and Mom made the best comfort food. "Why are you two here and not Mom and Dad? Not that I'm complaining," I asked them.

"Uhm," Carmen smiled before she continued, "They were all excited talking about the fight and you're resting so they went there while you rest here. Esme and I volunteered to watch over you."

I nodded again and continued eating. After a few minutes, I was done and asked if we could go to the house with the others. "Sure," Granma said with a grin on her face.

"Is there something I should know?" I asked suspiciously.

"Silly child," Carmen said and they locked their arms on either side of me and we walked slowly.

--

Before we even reached the back door, I heard talking. I couldn't make out what the conversation, but as we got closer, I realized that they weren't talking, they were arguing. Well, my dad was arguing with somebody or everybody. He tended to do that a lot. It was his voice that was the loudest.

"_How many times did we talk about it? You kept saying yes, but you just couldn't stick to your won decision,"_ Dad sneered.

"_Because I can't stay away for that long; I came here for her,"_ a familiar voice said.

I stopped on track. "Is that who I think it is?" I asked Granma and Carmen, but none of them said anything, they just pulled me to keep walking. The conversation inside the house continued.

"_We told you we can take care of her, and we did,"_ Dad snarled.

"_Thanks for that. I really am grateful. But seeing that she's fine with my own eyes gave me relief. I haven't slept a wink since you left. I agreed to be left behind because I thought I could, but obviously I was wrong."_

"_You're lucky everything went fine, because if it didn't, I will be the one to decapitate you,"_ Dad's voice was getting louder.

"_I would love to see you try."_

"_Take it easy, guys,_" Uncle Emmett said.

"_He's the one who needs to take it easy, Em. He's been at it for an hour already."_

We reached the door by then. Everyone looked at us when we appeared, but my eyes were focused on one person. "Nessie," he said as he got up. I saw Dad's arm was about to reach out and stop him, but Mom pushed Dad's arm down. He was walking slowly towards me. I felt Granma and Carmen's cold arms loosened and they walked away from me. When he stopped in front of me and ran his warm hand to my face, my heart stopped.

"Jacob," I whispered.

He put both his hands on my face and leaned his forehead on mine while he looked intently through my eyes. "I never stopped thinking about you since you left that night and try as I might, I can't bear to be away from you. I care for you too much to stay behind."

"Then why didn't you come sooner?" I asked. I was out of words for the emotions that were building inside me. Love. Hate. Longing. Pain. Happiness. Confusion. I couldn't hold myself together; I felt hot tears coming from my eyes. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much his presence affected me so I stepped away from him and ran though the back door. I heard him call out for me, but I didn't look back. I didn't hear if he tried to follow me or if my family stopped him from doing do.

I ran as questions flooded my mind. I was glad to see him since he had been in my thoughts from the moment I walked towards the security gate in the airport. I had been longing to feel his arms around me once again, even if he was just doing so as a friend. I was mad; why didn't he come sooner if he really couldn't stop thinking about me? Were those just words because I was there standing in front of him and he didn't want me to feel bad seeing him there, bringing the memories from a few days ago before I left? _Because I can't stay away for that long; I came here for her_, I heard him say earlier. But was for me or was it for the pack. She did say _her_; it was either me or Leah. Or was it my mom, his best friend? It was Dad he was arguing with earlier; it could have been mom. But she was standing right there with him when they were arguing and they stopped when we came. I didn't know what to think anymore so I just kept on running.

I ran to a familiar place. It was part of the forest not far from the cottage. This was where I first dreamt of being with Jacob. I heard twigs snapped and if it was anything like my dream, it would be Jacob. I turned around and it was just like my dream, except instead of him smiling, his face looked torn and pained.


	50. Secrets

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Just to assure you, I did not die and gone to Twilight heaven. If that's the case, I would be Edward's Bella, hahaha. That being said, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the 500+ reviews!!! That is a major milestone for my humble story.

There were a lot of questions if the last chapter was the end and I wanted to tell them 'No, it's not' but since they were unregistered readers, I can't reply. If you have questions, I suggest that you register so that I could reply to your review/question. Obviously, the story is not yet done, and at this point, I don't know how many more chapters to go.

For the other readers who have lots of comment about the beginning part of the story, I understand that the story did not really start strong, with lots of errors and some did not totally connect with the ending of the Breaking Dawn. I know, it was my mistake not to connect the dots properly, not remembering as I wrote the old chapters how Nessie was fully developed and all that. I thought about going back, polishing the old chapters, connecting the dots better, but then it will take me forever to update the rest of the story and those who had been anxiously waiting for the story to continue (including myself) will not like the idea. Bear with me, readers, I am trying my best.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

I turned around; I didn't have the strength to face him. The pained looked that he had was softening my heart and I wanted to stay mad at him but my heart was yearning to feel him closer, to have his arms wrapped around me. I started walking forward, but I was pulled back. "Nessie, please," his voice was pleading. "Let's talk, please."

"Let me go, Jake," I said as I tried to keep my voice straight, not letting my emotions betray me.

"Is that what you really want?" he whispered. I didn't move. Is that what I really wanted? Did I really want him to let me go? If I was being honest to myself, I knew the last thing I wanted him to do was to let me go. I wanted to be with him, even just as a friend, as long as I would be with him. "Nessie," my name escaped his lips and I closed my eyes; the tears wouldn't stop. I felt my knees buckle but my body never reached the ground. He wrapped his arms around me and turned me to him; his shirt was wet with my tears in no time.

None of us said anything. He let me cry the tears that had been building inside me and I felt his hot tears as well. I wanted to ask him what his tears were for, but I couldn't find the strength to voice it out so I just stood there with his arms wrapped around me and cried for who knew how long.

When there were no more tears to cry, I wriggled out of his arms. He didn't stop me; instead he loosened his arms and placed his hand under my chin to lift it up. His face was already dry; I guessed that was because of his hot body temperature. He looked intently through my eyes, "Nessie, I'm sorry for all the pain I have caused you. This is wrong; everything is so wrong." He wiped the tears from my face, "You're not supposed to cry. I keep messing up. I shouldn't be causing you any pain. I was supposed to bring you happiness."

"Just tell me what the hell is going on, Jacob. I'm tired of this game you're playing," I said to him and I moved away from his reach. "Why are you here? What's up with that shouting competition with Dad? What…just…you know what, I don't want to know…just, argh!" my voice was starting to get louder and I was reaching my limit.

"Are you done?" he asked.

I turned around, furious at his words, "Am I done? So, now it is my fault that I am in the dark when it's everyone, including you, who keeps talking in riddles and I'm supposed to figure it out? Am I done? Yeah, I'm done. I'm done with you," I said and walked past him. I didn't get another step further. He grabbed my arm; not firmly but enough for me to stop.

"I was asking if you're done because I have a lot of things to tell you and I didn't want to interrupt your thoughts. In case you don't notice, you tend to word vomit when you're pissed," he said and I shot dagger looks at him. "Look, I'm not very good with words, much more talking to girls. I sucked at that when I was younger and it's no any better now." He took a deep breath before continuing, "What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the secrecy and the cold shoulder at times. There's so many things I wanted to tell you from the very moment you stepped out of your bedroom door on your third birthday but I made a promise and I don't break promises, Nessie, I just don't." He let go of my arm and started pacing back and forth without a word. He would look up, breath deeply, and then pace back and forth again.

"Are you done?" it was my turn to ask. "You're creating a hole on the ground."

He finally stopped the pacing and looked at me, "What do you want to know, Nessie?"

"Everything."

"Then I suggest that you sit down. This will take a while."

--

Jacob tried to start telling me the story from the moment I was born but I had to stop him. This was going way back than I was hoping for. "You need to know every detail, Nessie," he said and that shut me up.

"Can't we just skip to the part where everyone started keeping secrets from me?" I snapped.

"Here's the thing, Nessie, everyone is very protective of you, including me. Your dad was the worst, but I was no better than him. Being my imprint, I'm drawn to be protective of you. It's involuntary," he said and it saddened me.

"Oh, I thought you liked being around me that's why you went with us in Hanover," I whispered. "I'm sorry for being such a burden." I looked away, "I'm all grown up now, Jake, and you don't have to feel obligated in taking care of me. I can take care of myself now." I thought of standing up and walking away, but before I could move, Jacob grab my hand.

"That's not what I meant, Nessie. I'm really trying to tell you what's going on, that's why I wanted to start from the beginning. I can explain better that way. Please," he pleaded. I took a deep breath and waved my hand for him to continue. "I was there the moment you were born, but I was there because of Bella, not because of you. You were known as the 'evil spawn' back then." Mom and Rosalie hated it when my own father thought that I shouldn't live. Not that I could blame him really; as far as I could remember from Mom's thoughts, I was killing her slowly and painfully. "Bella was my best fried and she wanted me to be there so I was there."

"Not to mention she was your first love, too," I muttered.

"You could say that because, at that time, she had a strong pull to my heart even though I know I didn't imprint on her. Then when I set my eyes on you, I then realized the pull I had with her, well, it's not her, it was her future daughter; it was you."

"That's kinda creepy, Jake. I wasn't even born yet and you 'sorta' imprinted on me," I said while using air quotes.

"If you're going to put it that way, then yes, it does sound creepy, doesn't it?" he chuckled. In a way, this helped the tension a bit. "So, anyway, I became very protective of you," he continued. "Everyone I knew who imprinted suddenly developed that extra sense dedicated only for their imprint. I'm tied to you like you wouldn't imagine. I even challenged Bella before I let her see you."

"I remember. I was flapping my arm to reach her, but you were blocking her. I couldn't believe you did that."

"She was a newborn, Nessie. If I felt protective of you towards your uncles and aunts, how much more towards your newborn mother who still had an appetite of ten thousand vampires combined?" I rolled my eyes at his exaggeration. "So anyway, I was there twenty-four seven watching you. Rosalie hated it; Edward was pissed about it, but they both know there's no getting rid of me. I am bound to be whatever you needed, an older brother, a babysitter, heck I was even there as a puppy." I smiled at that; I remembered how we used to hunt with my parents and he would be in wolf form and I would ride on him while we were racing with mom. We never won, of course, but it was fun. "As you grow older, you start to change and so does my role in your life. I was still there when you needed an older brother, but I was also there when you need a best friend. If you need another uncle, I'll gladly to play the part, too." He paused, got up and paced again. "There was never a problem. We all noticed how fast you were growing and we started to get used to it. We figured it will give us a bit more time, maybe ten years before you become a full-grown woman. In the end, we're all wrong."

"Because at age three, I turned from a girl looking like eleven to a lady at the age of eighteen," it wasn't a question.

"Yes, exactly. The thing is, all along I thought I was there for you as whatever you needed me to be. But that day, that moment I saw you, all mature, not only mentally, but also physically, that's when I started to feel…well, let's just say that the older brother that you used to find in me walked out of the door that day." He took a deep breath; he seemed to be taking more breaths than necessary. "I tried to be a reasonable friend to you, Nessie, but a part of me is letting me."

This was news to me. He was still around when I needed him to be there, except this last time when we separated at the airport. "What do you mean, Jake?"

"I wanted to be a fair friend, not a jealous jerk just because a guy asked you to be his date for prom."

_So, this was about Ken?_ I asked in my head.

"It's not just that, Nessie. How am I going to put this? I don't want to be just a friend to you, Nessie. I want to be more than that. I want to get to know you like a regular guy who likes a girl and will go through hoops to get her attention. I want to go to your house, not just barging in, but actually ring the doorbell and sheepishly wait while your parents, uncles and aunts grill me to where I'm going to bring you on a date and what time I'm taking you home."

"Wait, you…you figured out all these since September?" I asked as I back tracked everything that he confessed earlier. All these months that I had been hiding my attraction towards Jacob, he had been feeling the same all along. He nodded as a response to my question. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I made a promise to your parents that I will let you live your life as normal as possible," he explained.

"Nothing in my life is normal," I countered.

"Yes, we all know that. They're afraid that you will not try to discover other things; that you're life will start revolving around, well, me."

"What makes you think that my life will revolve around you?" I was starting to get irritate. He was explaining things in riddles and it was getting on my nerves. I liked him, but he didn't have to be arrogant about it.

"Because aside from being a friend, a brother, a confidant, as my imprint, we are also bound to fall in love with each other and be together," he answered.

"But you said before, when I asked you about Sam and Emily, Paul and Rachel, Embry and Tanya, you said it's not automatic. You even used Quil and Claire as example. You mean, they will end up together, as in lovers together, in the future?" He nodded. "How could you lie to my face like that, Jake?" I got up and started walking away.

He reached for my arm again, "Nessie, wait…"

"You know what, Jake; friends don't lie to each other. I understand that you need to keep secrets because of what you promised to my parents, but to lie on my face like that, that's rich," I snatched my arm away from his grasp and ran towards the cottage. When I got there, Mom was waiting for me with open arms. I ran to her and for the second time, pools of tears fell from my eyes.


	51. Betrayed

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I know I said I wouldn't make you wait for a long time, but real life kept messing up with my fanfic life. Terribly sorry. I think there's only one chapter left before the epilogue, but who knows, that could change.

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

_I felt betrayed. I expected my parents to keep things from me because from the TV shows that I have watched before, parents always kept things from their children. I did not expect secrecy from my friend, my best friend. Jacob said that he was who I needed him to be; I needed a friend right now, but I couldn't find that in him, not at this moment. He lied to my face, Mom_, I said all these through my touch after I replayed the conversation I had with Jacob to Mom. I didn't trust my voice so I decided to use my gift.

"We are also to blame, Renesmee. We made him promise not to tell you that as his imprint, you are also his soul mate; the one you will spend your lifetime with," Mom explained.

"I asked him if all those who imprinted end up in a loving relationship with their imprints and he said no," I told my mom after my tears subsided. "Is he that clueless that I am attracted to him? All of you knew about it even before I realized it myself. And him imprinting on me and knowing that in the future, and because he's such a jerk, in the very far future, we'll end up together anyway, why did he straight forward tell me that we' re not necessarily going to end up together." I had gotten up this time because I was really upset, "Then he went on to saying that my world will revolve around him. He's so arrogant, argh! I don't even know why I liked him in the first place." I looked at Mom and she had a silly smile on her face, "What?"

"You, my daughter, are head over heels," she teased.

"Excuse me? I don't think so. You know what, Mom, I could care less if he's here or not. I'm no longer interested. I have a lifetime ahead of me and there are millions of guys out there," I declared.

"But there's only one Jacob Black," she said, the silly smile she had on her face was still there.

"It doesn't matter, Mom, we're already screwed up," I said and turned to the window with my back to Mom. "Maybe I should have never attempted to be a normal girl, you know. I'm three for crying out loud, and yet I am thinking of a guy who's old enough to be my dad. Well, if he was a teenage dad, I guess."

"I'm not that old, Ness," a familiar voice said. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was. I knew that voice from anywhere, even in my dreams. I would have a long conversation with Mom when I get out of this one.

"What are you doing here? I'm not in the mood to argue with you anymore," I said before I half turned and headed to my bedroom. "Close the door on your way out," I said without looking at him. I opened my bedroom door and locked it behind me, but instead of heading to the bed, I dropped my body on the floor. I saw a glimpse of Mom before I turned around. I knew she would have a word with Jacob and I hoped dearly that she would tell Jacob why I was so mad at him.

I heard shuffling from the living room. They must have walked outside. Thanks to Uncle Jasper and his intense training, my hearing improved a lot and I could here their conversation even though my room was towards the back of the house. _"How big is the damage?"_ Jacob asked.

"_I don't know, Jake, she's really hurt. It's hard for her to accept that as her friend, you lied to her."_

"_I really screwed up, Bells, and it hurt so much when I saw her crying. It hurt more than you could possibly imagine. And to think I caused those tears. It feels worse than when you chose Edward in the past, and that hurt like hell. How do I make this right? I'm such an idiot!"_

"_I'm sorry, Jake, I really am. Renesmee accepted that Edward and I have a part in the secrecy, but she expected that from her family. I guess she got used to us keeping things from her, but not you. You have been her best friend since the moment she was born and she put a lot of trust in you. And I think what added fuel to the fire is the fact that she likes you. She asked you about the other imprints because a part of her wants that to happen between the two of you." _Mom got to stop already. I wanted her to talk to Jacob, but not reveal my feelings to him! _"It's bound to happen and you know that. You shouldn't have lied to her."_

"_But what was I supposed to say? _'Oh, them, yeah, we'll be like that soon.' _Not only Edward will have my head, but Nessie will get at mad as well. I told her that as my imprint, we are tied together no matter what and we didn't want to tell her about that at a young age because you wanted her to live a normal life instead of her life revolving around me."_

"_Yeah, she showed me that part of the conversation. That was a mistake. Edward is a bit proud and I am stubborn. Imagine both that traits combined in one person,"_ Mom chuckled.

"_What should I do? Edward was right, I should have stayed in Hanover. If I did, this would have never happened. She will not be this mad at me. I could have planned this better, you know, like how I'm going to tell her everything." _I was torn with this revelation. Of course I wanted him to be here; he had been in my mind since we left days ago. But for us to have an argument, it hurt me worse than any physical pain I could imagine. He was planning to tell me everything anyway. I was in deep thought that I almost missed what Mom said.

"_If you didn't come, no one would have been there to catch her when she lost consciousness."_

"_There are more than a dozen of you guys; any of you could have caught her before she hit the ground."_

"_But it wouldn't be the same, Jake, and you know that."_

"Wait, what?" I asked. I didn't realize that my legs lifted me up from the floor, my hand opened the door, my feet brought me to the front porch, and my mouth uttered those words.

Both of them turned to me and Mom smiled, "You two need to talk," and in a flash, she was gone. She must have turned and ran to the big house before my brain could register what she said.

"That was you? You're the one who caught me?" I asked Jacob.

"I told you it's an added instinct; I'm there when you need me," he simply answered.

"Thanks, but that doesn't mean everything's okay between us because it's not."

"I know I screwed up, Nessie, and if takes a lifetime to make it up to you, I'll do that. Knowing it's all for you, everything will be worth the effort," he said with sincerity. My heart was overjoyed by his words not only because of the effort he was willing to do everything to make it up to me, but he was willing to do it even if it would take a lifetime. Of course I would never admit to the overwhelming happiness in my heart.

"Well, thanks for catching me. Knowing that I'm half human, who knows if I'll bruise." I started walking towards my grandparents; house. "I'm headed to the other house, are you coming?" I asked. Without a word, he followed.

--

The emotional roller coaster took a toll in my body and I fell asleep not long after Jacob and I arrived at the other house. My family's eyes were on us when we entered, but I simply ignored them and headed to the sofa. I didn't bother to go up my parents' room. If they talk about something important, I wanted to be there, even subconsciously.

After a few hours, I was woken up by the smell of breakfast that Granma prepared. I inconspicuously tried to look for Jacob but he wasn't there. _Maybe he got tired of me already, so much for making it up to me for a lifetime_, I told myself. _Maybe Dad pushed him to go home_, the other side of me argued. I sighed; this was not healthy, me arguing with myself. I busied myself reading my school books for the make up that we needed to do for school.

Not long after, Alice squealed. "Alice, cut it out," Rosalie said.

"What's up?" Uncle Jasper asked.

"Not my news to tell," Alice chimed and started dancing around the room. Not long after, Tanya and Embry arrived. Alice ran towards them, hugged them both and started jumping up and down with Tanya.

"I thought you don't see werewolves?" Embry asked.

"I don't, but you're not in the bridal shower," Alice answered and that was when we all realized what got her so excited.

"When's the wedding?" Carmen asked as she wrapped her arms around Tanya.

"Before the others leave for Hanover," Kate answered when she appeared behind the couple.

"But that's in three days," I said.

"That's why we need to get started," Alice said and grabbed Tanya's hand and started blubbering wedding details. The guys congratulated Embry and Uncle Emmett of course had the loudest laugh in the group.

--

As to be expected, Alice dragged Tanya and Kate to Seattle. Tanya quickly called Emily so that she could go with them for dress shopping. As for the rest of us, Alice whipped up a list of things to do around the house, decorations to be done and, using some kind of magic, florist to convince to have the flowers ready and delivered in three days.

Before Alice left, Embry pulled her to the side and talked to her. He was being secretive about something and the smile of Alice's face just showed that something special was going to happen at the wedding. I couldn't help but feel jealous. I had seen how Embry and Tanya looked at each other with so much love and adoration. I wanted to share that look with Jacob, but I couldn't tell if I was ready to open up to him again. And even if I was, how come I didn't feel that he was willing to work with me. He wasn't there when I woke up; it's been hours since we last exchanged words and there was no text message or missed call in my cell phone. So much for making up to me for a lifetime.

--

With vampire speed and strength, the preparation that usually takes days took less than an hour for my family and that already included driving to Seattle and Port Angeles to pick up stuff and buy dresses and what have you. I had too much time in my hands and I read my books twice already; I wasn't up to read them for a third time. "I'm going for a walk," I told my family and although hesitant that I was going out alone, they let me as long as I stayed in the five mile radius, the distance that both my parents could protect my mind.

I walked aimlessly and ended up back where I had the argument with Jacob. I didn't realize it was that place until I stopped on the same spot where Jacob grabbed my hand to stop me from walking away. I rubbed my arm where he held me tightly to stay put. _Where do we go from here?_ I asked myself. A part of me hoped that somehow Jacob followed me here and heard the question in my head, but there was no answer except for the gust of wind that passed the forest. I sighed and sat down. I knew I was ready to forgive him even though it was just hours ago when I thought I could never forgive him, but I figured this must be love. If only he would just admit to his own feelings as well.


	52. Internal Battle

**Disclaimer:**

**Characters based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. **

(Nessie POV)

Just as expected, the preparation for Tanya and Embry's wedding was in full swing, thanks to Alice. She really was a miracle worker with parties. She could pull off a grand party in a few hours that would probably take at least three dozens of people.

The imprints were all settled in the living room while Alice and I gathered the make up we would be using for the make up testing. I really didn't imagine that this was our agenda for Tanya's bachelorette party, but then again, Dad was very keen against hiring a stripper or watching Rated R movies. "My daughter is three years old, in case you forgot," Dad's firm voice was still ringing in my ear as he reminded Rosalie and Alice before he left with the guys. We would have to stick to watching regular chick flicks, much to the older women's dismay, so Alice picked the good ones.

As I descended the stairs, I saw the girls gathered around the living room, happily chatting among one another, except for Mom who was still pouting because Rosalie wouldn't leave her alone. Alice was so thankful I didn't inherit 'plainness' from Mom. I set the makeup on the middle table and Kate grabbed a lip tint and played with Salia. I remembered when I was that small when Kate got married. I was the flower girl after all.

It was interesting how my life changed so drastically for the past three years. I grew up so fast that I didn't get to experience how it was being a child. I remembered being held by Grandpa Charlie for the first time after the shock wore off about Mom and Dad having a child, about Jacob being a werewolf and the greatest discovery of all time, when he figured out that my family were vampires. He figured it out the way Mom did, putting things together, at least that's what they told me. After Jacob's revelation to Grandpa Charlie, he started to be more observant and figured out the legends and secrets of both my family and the La Push tribe. It helped a bit for Grandpa to be more open to my fast development. It didn't scare him anymore when I accidentally touched his face and talked to him in my mind.

Even though there was a time that I did look like a little girl, my mind was so mature that my family needed to filter what they said around me because I would mimic and process everything they said and done. It made me envy the little girls that I watched from the TV shows. Sometimes I found myself trying to act young, especially around my family. I could feel that it brought comfort to my parents that maybe I wasn't growing too fast. We were all hoping in vain, but even for a fraction of my life, I was that little girl.

I remembered the times when I used to act like a little girl with Alice and Rosalie played with me, especially when we buy new clothes. Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett were very pleased with themselves when they had to protect me from having any bruises when we play at the backyard. Grandpa Carlisle and Granma Esme were so happy when I used to sit on their lap when they tell stories about the past. Most of all, I would never forget the loving look my parents gave me every time they came home from school. They would hold me in each others arms and showered me with kisses.

It was also so much fun when I could pretend to still be young, even my mind was many years ahead of my age. I could still clearly remember when I walked the aisle when Kate was married. Everyone adored me as the little girl who was so cute that day. Looking at my reflection by the window, it felt like it was a lifetime ago.

"Earth to Nessie," Kate snapped her fingers in front of me that brought my attention back to the group.

"I thought we lost you there for a second," Emily said.

"Just thinking," I replied sheepishly and absentmindedly grabbed the closest eye shadow. "It wasn't long ago when I was the flower girl. It's just kinda weird to be the one putting on make up instead of the little doll walking around," I said laughing.

"You were a lot easier to deal with than your mother," Rosalie said and shook her head towards Mom.

"Some things will never change," Alice said and continued playing with Tanya's hair. "I think we should leave your hair down for the wedding. I think Embry likes you with your hair down."

"I think it's a wolf thing," Kim said. "You're lucky, Nessie, Jacob doesn't pester you with your hair."

I rolled my eyes on her and my family made a gesture to the imprints not to bring up anything about Jacob. "I'll get more napkins," I said as I got up. I headed to the kitchen and stood there for awhile. I had to silently laugh at myself; walking away was starting to be my habit. I walked away the other day when Jacob and I had our argument in the forest, I walked away after my Dad's comment about him being a guy, and now I walked away when the topic about Jacob came up again. I couldn't help it though. It was not like I could come up with something smart to say; I hadn't learned that lesson from Rosalie yet.

Before I worry anybody in the other room, I grabbed a stack of napkins and brought it over. I interacted with everybody as we watched the movies and painted our nails and put make up on. I observed the imprints and how happy they looked. I couldn't help but feel jealous that they know what lies ahead for them, how they knew what it was like to share everything with their partners.

After a few hours, the imprints left for the night. Tanya and Kate went with them to drop them off to La Push. Alice told us to put down all the decorations. All of us looked at her puzzled, but did as we were told. We were expecting that she would want to replace the decorations, but we were surprised when nothing followed.

"What is going on, Alice?" Carmen asked.

"I'm sorry but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. This is all Embry," she smiled and glided to the flowers. She started working on the flower arrangement. "This is so romantic," she squealed and continued gliding around the room. It was driving all of us crazy. She made her way to me, "I hope Jacob will be as half as romantic as Embry. It would be so much fun to plan your we…"

I stared at Alice. She didn't dare finish what she was about to say, but she already said enough. "Plan what, Alice? Whatever fantasy you have in your head, it's not happening so while it's early, just give it up." I huffed and walked away.

"Oh, come on, Ness, it was just a joke," Rosalie called out but I was too busy ignoring them and closed the door behind me when I got to my parents' room. I sat at the end of the bed and stared out the window. It was a good idea not to turn on the lights; I would hate to see my reflection on the window. I grabbed Dad's old guitar by the bend and started strumming. I suddenly started playing a song that had been stuck in my head since I heard it. It hurt to say the words…

_I miss those blue eyes, how you kiss me at night_

_I miss the way you sleep_

_Like there's no sunrise, like the taste of your smile_

_I miss the way we breathe_

_But I never told you what I should have said_

_No, I never told you, I just held it in_

I was quite young but I every memory I had was very clear. Jacob used to sleep on the sofa as I slept on the love seat. It was our routine after running with my parents when they hunt. He would wait for me to sleep before stretching on the sofa. His voice used to soothe me when he read bedtime stories to me as I fall asleep. When I got a little older, mentally, I started waking up in the middle of the night and peeked over the sofa to see him smiling on his sleep. There were times that I wanted to wake him up just to ask what his dream was about, but I became too shy when I became aware of my attraction to him.

_And now I miss everything about you_

_I can't believe it, I still want you_

_And after all the things we've been through_

_I miss everything about you, without you_

Was I being petty for making a big deal when I got upset about him keeping a secret from me? I missed Jacob; I wouldn't even deny that fact. But I couldn't see any effort from him and it hurt even more that after saying that he would try to make it up to me, but there was no effort. The hopes that I had earlier were nothing but just that, hope.

_I see your blue eyes every time I close mine_

_You make it hard to see_

_Where I belong to, when I'm not around you_

_It's like I'm not with me_

_But I never told you what I should have said_

_No, I never told you, I just held it in_

I had to laugh a little when I thought about the song. He didn't have blue eyes; he had these beautiful brown eyes that penetrated through me. I remembered when he told me about teaching me how to drive. Seating across him in that restaurant, staring at me, made my insides squirm and twist and after that, I became distracted with every time I would see him looking my way. It was hard to avoid his eyes especially it was the best thing to look at, his eyes, his smile, his face, everything about him. And after that day, I couldn't even look at him the same way I used to.

_And now I miss everything about you_

_I can't believe it, I still want you_

_And after all the things we've been through_

_I miss everything about you, without you_

_But I never told you what I should have said_

_No, I never told you, I just held it in_

_And now I miss everything about you_

_I can't believe it, I still want you_

_And after all the things we've been through_

_I miss everything about you, without you_

The songs kept playing in my head even after I put the guitar down. I stared outside the window and the moonlight reflected a little bit of light through the glass. I saw the reflection of my sad face and the tears kept falling even as I quickly wiped it away. I hated how I grew up so fast; I hated that I was not normal; I hated everything that changed because of what I was; I hated the fact that I was going through this emotional roller coaster because of a guy.

I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. _I'm done thinking of you…I'm done thinking of you…I'm done thinking of you_ I repeated in my head and I slowly opened my eyes. Maybe it was the trick of the tears that were still falling from my eyes because I thought I saw the familiar brown eyes by the trees of the forest. And the internal battle in my heart started again…

**A/N: Sorry it took almost a year.**

**The song is by Colbie Calliat – I Never Told You**


End file.
